Chimaera
by Jounah
Summary: Life is hard. Rose Weasley has always known this. However, as fate would have it, Scorpius Malfoy, son of her parents' most hated school enemy, has just stumbled into her life. And...he just won't leave her alone. Love doesn't come once, but Scorpius does
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ah! Okay, this is my second attempt at a Harry Potter fanfic. My first one wasn't that good, so I'm trying a story from this angle. I figured, since Hermione and Draco couldn't have possibly gotten together in the book, I might as well try putting their kids together:D I'm sure many Hermione/Draco obsessed fans (like myself) have already tried/done this, but...oh well...I want to give this a shot. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this, new readers and perhaps old.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter...or Gummy Life Savers (those things are good; the original ones are good as well.)**

Rose sighed, holding her messenger bag close as she boarded the Hogwarts Express. Giving one last wave to her mother, Hermione, and her father, Ron, she set off to find a compartment where she would hopefully find her best friends Edward and Isabel, fraternal twins who had befriended her the first day of school. However, their looks were completely opposite. Their face and body structures were so perfect it was hard to believe they were human. Rose had always believed there was a hint of veela in them somewhere, but they had claimed that there was no such thing in their blood; it was 'simply luck' as they had put it. Edward had long dark, curly locks which he usually kept tied back. Rose had never seen him without it that way. His eyes were a light blue unlike Isabel whose were a dark brown. Her hair was straight and snow-white, cut choppily from her eyes and layered down to her shoulders. Isabel's skin was pale as her hair and Edward's tan.

"Isabel…Edward…Albus…where are you guys?" Rose mumbled to herself, searching through the compartments. Albus was her cousin, son to Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. He was an exact replica of his father with messy raven hair and emerald eyes.

She finally reached the end of the train, yet she hadn't found any of them. She gave a groan of exasperation and ran a hand through her brown curls. She looked in the compartment opposite her and simply decided to stay there. Only one other person occupied it.

"Uh—um—excuse me, but…could I sit in here? Many of the other compartments are full." While she waited, she observed the other occupant, one with white-blonde hair and a height of about 5'10". He was so thin and long…kind of like her father, actually.

"Um, excuse me?" Rose asked, stepping a little into the compartment. He continued not to answer her, and she decided on her own that it would be okay to sit. She quietly settled herself on the opposite bench and sat there, toying with a keychain her parents gave her from their trip around Asia. She opened her bag and shuffled through, pulling out a book. She tried to concentrate on reading, but was too distracted by the guy. She'd never been alone with one before. There was Edward, Albus, her brother, Hugo, her father, and others, but she knew them, so things weren't that awkward.

"What-what's your name? I've never…seen you around Hogwarts before. What house are you in?" Rose began, hoping he would answer her questions and they could begin a nice conversation. "I'm Rose Weasley, part of Gryffindor house." It was then that he finally turned his face to her; Rose could swear her heart skipped a beat or two. He had the face of an angel with beautiful bone structure and thin, but not too thin, lips. His bangs casually fell over a pair of slate gray eyes.

She swallowed, looking down at her shoes under his scrutinizing gaze. Her eyes drifted up again, and still he was calmly assessing her. 'How overpowering,' she thought to herself, clearing her throat and positioning herself so she couldn't see him as well.

"Scorpius Malfoy," he introduced suddenly. Rose almost jumped out of her seat. She swerved her head to face him but he was already looking out the window again.

'Oh….Where have I heard that name before? I could swear I have.' She wracked her brain, shuffling through her memories when the door suddenly opened. Both occupants looked at the new person.

"Rose, there you are! We thought you'd been left at King's Cross or something, but here you are chatting up a handsome bloke. The least you could have done was text me." Isabel gave a small pout, hands on her hips. "Ed, Al, and I have been worried sick."

"I couldn't find you guys, and I wasn't chatting him up either. This is Scorpius, Scorpius Malfoy. We just met actually." Rose could the blush leaving her face, the one that had appeared when Isabel had thought that Rose had been flirting with Scorpius. They had only met after all, and even then it would still be impossible for her to try and flirt. She'd never really understood the whole concept. Isabel had put it simply as talking with someone you're attracted to and subtly hinting that you were attracted to them.

"Scorpius…Malfoy…? Aren't you the one that's always second to Rose in exams?" Isabel questioned, but stepped back when she saw his body grow rigid and his fist clench. "Or-or maybe I'm just mistaken," she added quickly, backing out. "Sometimes I just blurt stuff out without actually knowing what I'm talking about. Right, Rose, right?" She looked at Rose for reassurance, signaling with her eyes to agree.

"Ye-yes, Isabel is like that sometimes. Please, don't take it to heart. Really, don't. She's just…really…inconsiderate like that sometimes…I guess…." Rose mumbled the last part, her eyes straying downwards. She could feel Isabel's expression of shock as she stuttered, "Y-y-yeah, I guess…I really am inconsiderate like that." Coldly she added, "'Inconsiderate', huh? You could've mentioned that earlier in our friendship."

Rose looked up quickly and said, "No, I didn't mean it in a bad sense. I mean, I-it's just that-well…sometimes…you….It's just-I mean-I just-please don't take it the wrong way. I didn't mean it the way it came out. I'm sorry, really I am. I'm sorry." As she spoke, her voice had died down to nothing but a tiny whisper. She added nothing more when Isabel left the compartment, a scowl on her face. They hadn't even entered Hogwarts yet and already they were fighting. It usually never happened. Perhaps something else had happened to Isabel before this? Typically, Isabel wouldn't have gotten mad about something so small.

She slowly turned to Scorpius. "I'm…really sorry to you as well about how Isabel acted. She does, on occasion, say some bold things, but she doesn't mean any harm, really." She bit her lip, hoping that Scorpius would forgive Isabel.

"I'm a Malfoy. It was disappointing in the fact that I even reacted to what she said. Don't bother." He had his legs stretched out and was staring out the window at the passing scenery, his arms loosely folded across his chest.

"Um…Scorpius…although we haven't known each other for long…I hope that what just occurred…well, I hope we can still be friends." Rose spoke slowly, marveling at her boldness. Never had she said something like this, not really. She'd always tried to go with everyone else, trying to make them happy. She hated fighting, she really did.

He turned his head and looked at her expressionlessly before saying, "You really talk a lot, you know that?" He gave a small smirk, and Rose blushed a dark red in return.

"We-we-well if-if it-if it bothers you so much, then-well-then tell me to be quiet or something," she mumbled, playing with a hair tie, twisting it into different shapes and producing different knots.

He shrugged and said, "Who knows? Maybe…I like your company. That's possible, isn't it?" Rose nodded meekly. "Hey, stop looking down so much. Is my face really that horrendous that you have to look away all the time?" Rose shook her head no and took a deep breath before lifting her head as if it was the hardest thing she had ever done before. This Scorpius was so different from before. What had brought on this sudden change? It was odd…but oh well…at least he wasn't mad at her. All she had to worry about was Isabel, who would hopefully be able to forgive her.

"You seem…worried. Why?" He asked, staring at her. His dark eyes seemed to penetrate her, able to read her mind.

"Well, it's just that…." So she explained her feelings to Scorpius who listened intently, his eyes hardly ever leaving her face. This had been at first been extremely hard and embarrassing, but Rose found herself relaxing. They lay on the seats opposite each other, staring at the ceiling. Before she knew it, Rose began talking about anything and everything while Scorpius listened. When the food trolley came to their end of the train, much to Rose's discomfort, Scorpius bought a lot of sweets for them, telling her sternly that she didn't need to pay him back. All she had to do was keep talking, keep telling him stories about her childhood, her friends, her escapades at Hogwarts with her friends, and muggle stories that she'd read. He all found it quite fascinating since he'd never been introduced to anything muggle nor did he have any friends…not any close ones at least.

"That means I'm your first real friend, right?" Rose asked excitedly, propping herself up with her elbows, chewing on a licorice wand. He nodded numbly, a small streak of pink crossing his cheeks as he ate the head of a chocolate frog. Rose gave a small smile and continued to eat the sweets. "Hey, Scorpius…if you don't mind, would you tell me about you? I've been talking the entire time, and I've realized that I hardly know anything about you at all."

"Well, my life isn't as exciting as yours. I grew up in Malfoy Manor with my mother and father and some house elves. I began riding a broomstick when I was three, and well…that's about it I guess. Being a pureblood isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"Scorpius, what's it like riding a broom? I've asked my cousin James before but he isn't much help, and he even got me to try it once, but I-well, I wasn't that good. I could've been in a bad accident if my dad and uncle Harry hadn't been there."

"Harry…as in Harry Potter?" Scorpius asked curiously.

"Yes, why?" Rose replied, returning his stare.

"It's nothing, just curiosity. Oh, look, we're almost at Hogwarts."

"How can you tell?" Rose asked, sitting up and moving to look out the window. He walked over and stood behind her, his arm on the right side of her head as he pointed out a pair of out-of-place willow trees. His breath tickled her ear and his warmth was comforting, welcoming. "Scorpius," she said quietly, "could you…please not…come so close to me…?"

"Sorry," he muttered, leaving her side and returning to his own. An uncomfortable silence settled over them, only broken when Rose said she was going to change into her robes. Soon after arriving at Hogwarts, Rose lost track of Scorpius who seemed to blend into the crowd. Luckily, she was found by Albus who was slowly moving through the crowd.

"So who did you stay with on the train?" Albus asked as she walked up beside him, attempting to fix his Gryffindor tie.

"Here, let me help you," Rose offered with a small smile, stopping where they stood. She stood on her tip-toes and began tying Albus' tie the proper way. "We've been wearing ties for almost five years and you still don't know how to tie it properly? Really, Albus, you should have someone teach you."

"I've asked for help but I just don't seem to get it. Perhaps ties just don't like me at all. Thanks." They began walking quicker to catch up with the other students. "Hey, you never answered my question from before. Who were you sitting with on the train? Far as I know, you don't have any close friends besides Ed, Is, and me. Ow!" He exclaimed, due to the fact that Rose had just slapped him on the arm.

"I do so have other friends besides you three. Well…they're more like…acquaintances, I guess you could call them…or even just classmates if you wanted to be a little more specific. Anyways, why does it matter who I was sitting with? At least I'm here and still not at King's Cross."

"I'm your friend and cousin, Rose. I worry about these sorts of things. I don't want you getting brainwashed before we've entered Hogwart's grounds. It can't be that bad. Come on, tell me. Please, Rose?"

She contemplated for a few minutes in her head and finally answered, "Scorpius Malfoy."

Her answer was met with silence, which usually wasn't a good thing. She slowly moved her gaze upwards to Albus' face. "Albus…? Is something wrong?" She asked.

"Rose…do you really not know who Scorpius Malfoy is?" He asked calmly. She shook her head slowly, continuing to stare at Albus. "Well…you must be extremely unobservant, or you've spaced out many times these last four years. Scorpius Malfoy," he took a deep breath, "is the son of an ex-Deatheater. All these years, on every exam we've ever taken, he's always been second to you. He is a Slytherin who is always found with the worst ones, the ones that bully younger students and anyone else who can't defend themselves properly. Furthermore, everyone in the school knows that he has slept with many girls, both in and out of the school. He drinks and occasionally smokes, but that is nevertheless bad. He's an annoying, arrogant pureblood prat that will do anything to make a girl swoon and get into bed with him. He's the vilest…creature in the entire school, including any dangerous creatures Hagrid brings in." His tone had grown darker and darker as he spoke which was highly unusual for Albus. Maybe it was one of those phases that teenage boys went through?

"You seem to harbor a large grudge against him, Albus. When I talked to him, he didn't seem that bad. He really seems like a good person. Scorpius bought me sweets and we talked—well, I did most of the talking, and he listened. Albus, I'm sure rumors are just getting to you and you've just begun using them to shape together Scorpius. After all, everyone has two sides to them, a good and bad one."

Albus shook his head. "No, Rose, I know what I'm talking about. Unlike others, before I start believing, I investigate to be sure it's true. I've done just that over the years and everything I just said is true. Malfoy is a horrible, despicable, loathsome git."

Rose sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to convince Albus otherwise. He'd begun showing the hotheadedness that his father had—according to Aunt Ginny at least. She continued walking beside a fuming Albus as they entered Hogwarts and the great hall. They settled themselves down at the Gryffindor table with Edward and Isabel who were quietly talking to each other. Albus' mood lightened immensely as he and Edward began talking vividly about quidditch. Rose's aura was full of discomfort and hesitation, Isabel's with distaste.

"What's up with you two?" Edward asked, his dark eyes resting on Rose's face.

"It's nothing," she replied calmly, quietly. "I'm just tired from the long train ride." She gave a small smile of reassurance and was saved from saying anything more when Headmistress McGonagall began speaking. Even after all the years between the fall of Voldemort and now, she and many of the past teachers were still there. It was amazing, to say the least.

"Good evening, everyone. Before we begin sorting, I'd like to remind you all that the Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden. Any students found after hours will receive an immediate detention and a deduction of house points. Now we shall begin the sorting." With a whole new load of first years, the sorting took twenty minutes. "Before you begin your feast, I would like to inform you all that a new optional class will be held after dinner during your normally free time. It is an advanced course that would prefer 6th or 7th years, but if anyone younger feels they are up to the challenge, they may join. Inform me of your decision if you ever make it. Now, you may begin your feast." She nodded approvingly and sat down with the other teachers as food magically appeared before them. All around, there were astonished and excited whispers from first years and relieved grumblings from other years.

Rose sipped a little pumpkin juice and nibbled on a little chicken. However, she was still full from the sweets on the train. Picking through her bag, she pulled out a licorice wand and stood.

"Where are you going?" Edward asked, neatly dabbing his mouth with a napkin. "Dinner hasn't ended yet, and we have to go back to our dorms after this. You should know that."

"I do. I'm just full from eating so much on the way here, and I'm heading to the library. Don't worry. I'll be in the dorms by the time we're supposed to." She picked up her bag and left through the doors.

At the Slytherin table, Scorpius watched as she walked away, her steps graceful like a dancer's. She was escaping from dinner. Why? Was it simply because of her friend? If so, what a cowardly thing to do.

"Scorpius, who are you looking at?" crowed one of the 7th year Slytherin girls, wrapping her arms around his neck. She laid a soft kiss on his neck, aware of all the jealous glares from the others. "What?" She asked innocently, laying her head down on his shoulder. "Don't be jealous because he chose me out of all of you." She smirked and sighed happily. Scorpius was handsome and from a rich pureblood family. What else could a girl want?

"For how long, that's the question," giggled a pair of young Ravenclaw girls. "Everyone knows that Malfoy moves through girls after two days at the most, so why should this be any different?"

"I don't really know, Fauna. Maybe this slut can actually satisfy Malfoy. Hm…then again, I highly doubt it. He's just using them until he has to get married to some pureblood."

"Hey, maybe she'll be lucky and it'll be her that Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy choose. Don't you agree, Flora?" She and her sister brought their heads closer, giggling like mad.

"I highly doubt that. Malfoy women have to be beautiful, intelligent, and not an embarrassment to society. However, it's hard to find girls that like nowadays, isn't it, Fauna?"

"Yes, it is. But never fear, we know at least a few girls like that." Both nodded with understanding, their arms intertwined.

During the sisterly conversation, Celina's face had been growing redder and redder. She would not let a pair of third years talk about her that way. She bolted up from her seat and spat, "Just who the hell do you think you are, talking about me like that?!" All became quiet in the Great Hall and eyes turned to where the three stood.

"Flora and Fauna Celeste, of course. Who else would we be?" They replied, staring at her questioningly. Each had dark red hair that fell to their waist and light green eyes. Freckles were lightly dusted across their noses, accompanied by pouty pink lips. The only differences between them were that Flora had a streak of blonde in her hair and a silver bracelet on her left wrist while Fauna's streak was black and on her left wrist was a gold bracelet.

Celina stood there, gaping. She had just messed with the daughters of the Minister of Magic. 'Shit,' she thought to herself, her fists clenching, her nails making little half-moon marks on her palm. 'Shit, shit, shit.' She began panicking, trying to figure out a way to make them forget she'd said anything bad.

"Must we repeat our names?" They asked amusedly, staring at her with their same colored eyes. "Or…have you been put into such a state of shock that we must take you to Madam Pomfrey? I'm sure she'd be glad to help, wouldn't she, Flora?" Fauna asked, her eyes flickering to her sister.

"Yes, and we would even be gracious enough to assist her on the way to Madam Pomfrey."

"Aren't we such good people?" Fauna sighed. "Oh well, we're wasting our time here. Let's go ask sister Rosie to tell us a story or something. She's always been good at that."

"Yes," agreed Flora, "Rose has always been good at that. I didn't see her here at dinner though."

"She probably escaped to the library. That is her sanctuary, after all." Flora and Fauna continued mumbling to each other as they walked away. Celina still continued to stare after them, bitter hatred in her eyes. They'd made a fool of her and continued even now to do so.

"I'm not done talking to you, you little witches!" She screeched after them. "How dare you show disrespect to your superior?!" Up at the teachers' table, Professor McGonagall made to stand up, but many teachers quietly told her to sit back down. It was only the beginning of the year; this was an extremely interesting turn of events. If things got too out of hand, then they would act, but for now, this was just some childish amusement. It also seemed that many of the students were enjoying it as well, so why ruin the fun?

"Yes, we are witches. What are you?" Flora asked calmly, tilting her head back to look at Celina.

"We weren't showing disrespect," Fauna added. "We were simply stating the truth. Ask any student—well, make that almost any student—and they will agree wholeheartedly with what we just said. Adieu." They left out the door without another word, leaving Celina standing there, shaking with rage.

"Scorpius, aren't you going to say anything?" Celina asked, swerving around to her last hope of comfort. She hoped he would embrace her and whisper to her how they would get back at the two girls and show them how superior they really were. A smile lit her face when he stood and walked towards her. She held out her arms as if to embrace him, but he walked straight past, a hand shoved nonchalantly in his pocket, the other loosening his green and silver tie. All around Celina, people from different houses began whispering amongst each other and even to other houses, giggling and pointing. She turned to the doors and followed Scorpius' lead out the doors. The last words she heard were, "Wow, if even Malfoy doesn't want her, she really must be bad."

She left almost in tears. She blinked them back, feeling her eyes water. Already a few were falling down her face. She wiped away at them furiously, glad that everyone was in the Great Hall. Just thinking about what had happened, she couldn't help it as more tears fell down. As she traveled farther and farther away, her nose became runny. 'Oh, God,' she thought to herself. 'This is the worst first day of school ever…and during my last year as well.' Before she knew it, she'd bumped into someone. She sat there on the floor, trying to hide her face, hoping that the other person would just go away.

"Um, here," the other person, a girl, whispered softly, "you can take my handkerchief if you'd like."

"I don't want your damn pity," Celina muttered, turning away. It was already tragic enough that this had happened to her and someone in the school was witnessing her tears. Tomorrow was going to be even worse once this person told her friends that she had seen Celina crying.

"Oh…" the girl replied in a hurt tone. "I-I'm sorry," she added quietly.

"Who is it, Rosie?" Fauna asked, curious as to whom the person was.

"Oh…it's just her," Flora said, her voice full of distaste. "If you're looking for Malfoy…well," she turned her head to look behind them, "he should be coming soon. We just met him in the library."

"He's probably still recovering from the stun spell," Fauna nodded, adjusting her gold bracelet. "You still need to work on the way you hold your wand though, Flora. It's not elegant enough."

"I like the way I hold my wand," Flora glowered. "Besides, I distinctly remember you laughing your head off when he tried to deflect but was just a little too late."

"Yes, his fall was none too graceful either," noted Fauna, nodding. "We should get going, Rosie, or else we'll be late to our dorms and get in trouble. We wouldn't want to get your no-late record blemished because of something like this."

"Flora, Fauna, don't be mean, please," Rose chastised gently.

"She was mean to you though, Rose," said Flora, "and she deserves what she got. I mean, really, she was hanging all over Malfoy." Flora shuddered, rubbing her arms. "Sure he has a nice face, but underneath he's nothing but a lying, scheming prat of the underworld."

"Not you guys, too. Scorpius isn't a bad guy; he's actually very kind." Her tone grew wistful, and a blush crossed her cheeks when both Fauna and Flora gave her strange looks. "Excuse me…but…what's your name?"

"…Celina," she replied, not quite understanding why she had told her name to this friend of the witches who would permanently ruin her.

"That's a pretty name, not as common as Rose. Are-are you sure that you wouldn't like my handkerchief? I-I'm sure you wouldn't want any of the other students to see you this way."

Celina slowly reached up and grabbed the plain white handkerchief with the only decoration of a red rose threaded on in a corner. She dabbed at her eyes and her nose. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"It's nothing," Rose beamed, offering a hand to Celina who hesitantly took it. "After all, we're Hogwarts students, and my mother told me that Professor Dumbledore always said we should help each other out, no matter what our differences."

Celina stared at Rose. 'This tiny girl is so strange…but kind…even to someone as pathetic as me.' Her eyes then strayed forward and widened. Purposefully walking towards them was Scorpius, running a hand through his hair.

"Great," Flora said, rolling her eyes. "Rose, we have company. You'd probably welcome this person, but I don't think any of the rest of us would make this person feel very…comfortable."

"What do you mean, Flora?" Rose asked curiously.

"Good evening again, Rose," Scorpius greeted. "I'm surprised I don't have any wands at my throat again as well."

"Oh, you actually want us to take the effort to bring out our wands again, Malfoy?" Fauna asked before adding, "I mean, not that you're really worth it, but…if you insist." She shrugged as she and her sister pulled out their wands, Fauna's of oak and unicorn hair, Flora's of willow and phoenix feather.

"Flora, Fauna, please stop this nonsense," said Rose before any spells could be cast. She moved in front of the twins' wands so they couldn't aim as well at Scorpius. "We haven't even started classes yet and you guys are already causing lots of trouble. Please leave Scorpius alone, please."

Both sighed, somewhat disappointedly, as they stowed their wands back in their robes. They moved to the sides of Rose and glared at Scorpius who coolly returned their glare.

"You're lucky that Rose here has grown fond of you, Malfoy. I don't know what spell you've cast on her yet, but know this, we won't ever let you have her; you can be sure of that. And just so it'll be fair, you better always have your wand on you or else one day when Rose isn't around, who knows? We might end up accidentally cursing you at the same time." Flora smirked at him, watching a small look of hatred flicker across his face.

"Flora, Fauna, I thought I told you to stop. Don't threaten him like that," Rose scolded.

"Then I guess to keep him safe, all three of us will always have to be together," said Fauna. "That's the only way to ensure his safety, Rosie."

"We could always get Ed, Al, and Is on our side as well. You know how much they disapprove and loathe him so."

"Yes, that's true. We should text one of them tonight, or simply talk during breakfast tomorrow. Yes, it's getting late so let's talk to them tomorrow."

"Wh-wh-wait, you can't do that! You can't just gang up on Scorpius like that!" exclaimed Rose, walking as the two girls walked away, their arms intertwined as usual. "Flora, Fauna, you can't do that!"

"You can let them do as they want. As you might not have seen at dinner, I have many admirers who would protect me," said Scorpius, walking up to stand beside Rose. "You should be more concerned about yourself. After all…once I become infatuated with a girl, there's no way she can escape me."

Rose laughed unsurely, feeling as Scorpius brought himself closer to her. "Well, hopefully that girl returns your feelings, then. It would be a shame if she didn't. However, if she did, it would be even worse if you lost your infatuation after only a few days. After all, everyone in Hogwarts knows how much you like to move from one girl to the next."

"True, true. However, there is one particular girl that I have my eyes set on; I haven't had her yet, but I plan on it…soon." Rose began shuffling away as Scorpius moved closer to her.

"Rosie, come on!" Fauna yelled down the vast hallway. Soon footsteps were heard as the twins came bounding back, wands in hand. They each intertwined one of their arms with one of Rose's. As they walked away, they turned around and stuck their tongues out at Scorpius. There was no way they were going to allow some Slytherin playboy to steal away their pure and innocent Rose.

Scorpius watched as the two red-heads walked with Rose, keeping her busy with chatter so she didn't have time to turn around and say good-bye to him. However, for a second, Scorpius caught her eyes as she turned around and then back again.

That was the last time he ever made contact with her. Yes, he saw her in class, but she was always surrounded by other people whether they were from her own house or other houses. He didn't want other people around, mostly because he just wanted her to himself, and the fact that a Gryffindor and Slytherin match-up wouldn't be seen so well through the eyes of the other houses. Beside that, he had his own admirers to take care of and satisfy. He slept with girls, accepted their gifts and affection with the courtesy he was taught, yet never let them have any more than that. As to Rose's fan boys, he cursed them behind their backs, chuckling to himself. After all, no one could have her but him.

* * *

**7****th**** year at Hogwarts**

"Rosie, Rosie, Rosie, where are you?" Fauna called frantically, searching the train for her friend. Behind her, Flora searched as well, albeit more calmly than Fauna. "Rosie, come out or else that evil Slytherin will find you first!" Two years had passed since they'd met Scorpius, and he hadn't done anything suspicious (except for cursing Rose's admirers) but the twins were still on guard. He wanted her badly, and this was their last year at Hogwarts, his last real chance to get at Rose before they left and went their separate ways.

"Fauna, she's right in here," said Flora, stopping by a compartment that Fauna had passed. Fauna stopped abruptly and turned around, running to the compartment. The twins went in and were relieved to find Rose chatting animatedly with Edward and Albus. When they stepped in, they looked up and gave some greetings.

"Rosie, if we're calling for you, you should answer at least. We were worried that Malfoy had found you first and had you tied up somewhere or something," Fauna exclaimed, crossing her arms and sitting down beside Albus.

"Sorry," apologized Rose, "but we had Edward do a silencio spell so we wouldn't be able to hear everyone else. They are quite loud when boarding the train after all." She took a look at her watch and stood. "I have to go to the Head's compartment. Professor McGonagall is going to explain Head duties to both the Head boy and me." She gave an apologetic smile before leaving.

"…Does anyone know who Head boy is?" Flora asked while her sister sat across from her, gaping.

"Malfoy," both Albus and Edward replied tightly.

"What?! No, we can't let Rosie go. We have to stop her!" Fauna screamed, standing hastily. Before she could move any further, her sister grabbed her forearm.

"Once the Head meeting begins, no one must interrupt. Besides, you can't interrupt. A silencio spell and locking spell has been put on. Don't worry. Professor McGonagall will be there the entire time so there is no need to worry. Now sit down and relax with the rest of us. Besides, Rose is a talented witch. She can protect herself."

"With her wand, that is," huffed Albus. "Malfoy can overpower her in physical strength due to the vigorous training he puts his teammates and himself through for quidditch. Without her wand, Rose stands no chance against him."

"Must you always be pessimistic, Albus? Rose will be fine."

* * *

"As it goes, the both of you will be sharing a dorm. Now, considering that you are both in your last year of Hogwarts, I sincerely hope that you take it upon yourselves to act responsibly and not engage in anything…compromising or bring together a family feud." Professor McGonagall peered at Scorpius specifically while she said this, but he casually avoided her eyes, fiddling with a ring on his right hand. "Now, as when you were Prefects, you must patrol the hallways after hours. I have already composed a schedule. You must set an example for the rest of the Hogwarts students, do you understand?" 

"Yes, Professor McGonagall," replied Rose, already reading over the schedule.

Professor McGonagall suddenly looked out the window and said, "I'm sorry, but there are some things as Hogwarts that I must prepare. You may return to your previous activities. I'll see you soon." She nodded to both of them and disapparated.

"I can't wait to see the Head dorms at Hogwarts," Rose gushed. "Mum never got to be Head Girl, so she couldn't exactly explain to me what they look like. What do you think they'll look like, Scorpius?" She turned to her partner and found him staring at her intently. "What? Is there something on my face? I knew Mum was right when she said I should put a mirror in my bag."

"No, of course it's nothing like that. No, wait." He brought forward a pale hand and brushed a stray curl off her temple. "Perfect," he muttered, continuing to stare at her.

"Thank you for the compliment, Scorpius, but I wouldn't exactly call myself perfect. I'm far from that. But, while you're still here, would you like a licorice wand? Or would you prefer a pumpkin pasty? Or would a chocolate frog do?" Rose asked, pulling the sweets from her bag. "Unless you'd like some muggle candy; I have some of that as well. Oh, wait, you've…never had muggle candy before, have you? I'm sorry."

"Of course I've had muggle candy before. I'm a Malfoy; we're supposed to be diverse in our choices. I've been taught that from birth," he replied lazily, looking at his choices. "Hm…I've never seen that muggle candy before."

"Oh, gummy life savers? These are my favorites. Here, hold out your hand." He did so and she grabbed it, pulling it towards her. Rose dumped a handful in his palm and gave herself some as well. She chewed happily on a red-colored one while Scorpius eyed them before popping a light green one in his mouth. "See? They're good, aren't they? And they really could be life savers; for example, if you were stranded somewhere with nothing to eat but these, then you could survive even a little longer until help came."

"Hm," Scorpius replied, silently chewing on the candy. "More," he demanded, holding out his hand.

"But I already gave you a lot," Rose pointed out, quickly putting the bag of gummy savers in her bag. "You shouldn't be demanding anything of me, either. After all, I was the one who offered it to you, not the other way around."

"Well then you shouldn't have offered them to me in the first place if you weren't going to share," Scorpius replied stubbornly, his hand still held out, a small glare on his face. "Now give me some, Weasley."

Rose bolted out of her chair and began shouting, "Oh, so we're going with last names now? I can't believe you're getting so upset over candy. I mean, really. Besides, I did give you some; it's better than me taking out the candy and not offering you any at all. If you want some, why don't you send a letter home and ask your house elves—no, wait, why don't you simply go to a muggle city and buy the candy yourself?!" She took a deep, shuddering breath, closing her eyes and counting to ten. Her mother always did tell her that she had her father's temper. It just took an extremely irritating person to bring it out. Of course, she wasn't really one to react that quickly to something so simple. Maybe it was a Weasley thing to do when it came to Malfoys. At this thought she smiled to herself. Yep, her father would be proud of her. Her eyes opened again to some shuffling. Rose's mouth opened and closed when she found Scorpius sitting comfortably in his chair, feet propped up on the desk Professor McGonagall had just been sitting behind, throwing gummy savers in his mouth.

"Y-y-you—what do you think you're doing, Scorpius Malfoy?!"

"Eating," he replied casually. "What else does it look like?" He slightly turned his face to her, a small smirk on his face.

"I didn't give you permission to eat those. Give them back!" She demanded, one hand balled into a fist and resting on her hip, the other held out. "Scorpius Malfoy, give me back my life savers before I hex you to Timbuktu."

"Rose, have you taken into account that I'm physically stronger than you? I'm a seeker, and having quick reflexes is a requirement. Before you'd even whip out your wand, I'd have your wand and your arms twisted behind your back." He countered calmly, continuing the lower the number of gummies.

"And if any of my friends found out you touched me, they'd hex you as well, worse than I would, actually. I'd pity you and leave your hex at something that would keep you away from the public eye for a few days at the most."

He chuckled mirthlessly and rested his dark gray eyes on her face. "Rest assured that you will never be able to hex me."

"What makes you believe that?" Rose asked, her focus on the gummy savers completely gone.

"Although your mother, father, others of your family, and my father shared an…interesting past…hating each other because of their different outlooks, you and I are not them. And, if I may be so bold as to say, I'm simply infatuated with you, Rose." A blush instantly colored her cheeks as Scorpius' eyes looked at her, filled with nothing but honesty. Yes, she'd had many confessions from boys over the years, but his confession was so straight forward, not in a card or written in the sky; nor did it come along with flowers or chocolates. He hadn't stuttered when he'd said it, and his eyes had never left hers.

She jumped back when he stood, taking a few long strides towards her. 'Oh, bugger, what do I do now?' Rose thought to herself anxiously, backing up, trying to keep as much distance between herself and Scorpius. 'And all this happened over a bag of gummy savers? Oh, Merlin.'

His arms trapped her on either side of her head, his own lowering, but suddenly he stopped when they both heard a knock. "Damn, doesn't anyone know that they're not to disturb a Head's meeting?" Scorpius muttered under his breath, standing up straight. Rose took this opportunity to escape him and run to open the door.

"Oh, hello Lucien. What are you doing here?" Scorpius came to stand behind Rose, a glare on his face. Lucien Zabini wasn't exactly his favorite person in the world. They were rivals to say the least. Unlike their fathers who were friends, the two hated each other from first glance. Both were always competing for everything. From the smirk Lucien gave him, Scorpius knew that they would be competing for Rose's affection as well.

"We can't start the meeting without our Head boy and Head girl now, can we?"

"Oh, yes, the meeting. Come on, let's go then Scorpius. I'm sure we've made everyone wait a little bit now." She smiled at him unsurely before grabbing her things. Rose began walking out the door beside Lucien before Scorpius called her back. "Yes, what is it?" He said nothing in reply, but simply grabbed her hand. She blushed softly but said nothing as they went to the enlarged compartment where prefects from every house were chatting loudly.

"Um, excuse me, but could everyone settle down?" Rose asked, her quiet voice hardly breaking through the noise. "Everyone, please be quiet. We have to get this meeting started before we reach Hogwarts." She sighed to herself, trying not to let her annoyance overrule. 'Oh well,' she thought to herself. "Would all of you stupid prats just shut up and listen for once?!" She yelled, glad that Scorpius had cast a silencio spell before she'd spoken. Surprised that the normally quiet and subdued Rose Weasley had screamed at them, everyone stopped talking and stared at her. She cleared her throat and began, "As it goes, we are the leaders of our own houses and role models. Now, here's a copy of our hallway patrolling schedule, and who you will be partnered with. As you may notice, you will be with someone from another house. Professor McGonagall feels that there is still some animosity between houses and she wants to lower that distrust."

As soon as they saw the schedule, everyone began muttering to each other. The ones paired with Slytherins and vice versa eyed each other warily before turning to their friends.

"I can't believe I'm stuck with a mudblood," muttered a girl from Slytherin, casting a spiteful look at the small Hufflepuff girl she was paired up with.

Before anyone could react, Rose had already pulled out her wand and had it aimed at the Slytherin girl's chest. No one made a comment, noting how her normally cheerful face was now dark and foreboding. "If you ever," she spat, the tip of her wand poking the girl's chest, "say that word again, I swear I will use the cruciatus curse on you. I don't care if it is illegal or not, I will do it."

"Now, now, Rosalie. Imagine how mum and dad would feel if they found out you'd tortured someone. Don't waste your time or energy on a pathetic pureblood like this. No matter how much time has passed, muggle born hatred has been passed on from one generation to the next. It's something that can't be helped in some families that raised children with such close-mindedness. We don't want you to become the next Voldemort who fends for muggle born rights." Everyone turned; no one had heard the door open, so entranced and frightened by Rose's threat. Leaning against the door frame was a guy about 5'10" with short reddish-brown hair that fell over a pair of sky-blue eyes. He wore no robe, but the standard Hogwarts uniform, his tie simply hanging around his neck. He stepped into the room and grabbed Rose's forearm.

"Calm down, Rosalie. We're getting closer to Hogwarts, and we wouldn't want to disappoint Professors McGonagall or Dumbledore now, would we? And you know how Professor Longbottom reports things to mum and dad. We don't want any trouble come Christmas." He murmured in her ear. She, in turn, reluctantly lowered her wand. "Girl, what's your name?" He asked, coaxing Rose away from the girl and towards the door.

"M-M-Mia," she stuttered, whether from the shock of Rose's threat or from the gorgeous guy in the front of her, who knew? Perhaps it was a little of both.

"Mia of Slytherin house, I assume? I'll keep that in mind." He turned and began ushering Rose out. "Come now, dearest sister, before you give any more threats that could get you expelled from Hogwarts. Malfoy, I'm sure you can take over whatever is left to do. Oh, and Mia of Slytherin, you better not stray off by yourself. You never know what could happen in the dark corridors of Hogwarts." He turned his head only to give her a malicious grin.

Right after the door clicked itself shut there was a moment of silence, perhaps three minutes at most, before everyone began talking. They'd definitely seen a new, darker, and scarier side to Rose Weasley, who was known as the bookworm princess of Gryffindor house. Not to mention the hot guy that had come in to take her away.

"Who the heck was he?"

"I think his name is Hugo, Hugo Weasley. He did call Rose 'sister', after all. And he mentioned something about 'mum and dad'. He didn't say 'your mum and dad', just 'mum and dad'."

"I've never seen him around Hogwarts before. Is he new? What house is he in? What year?"

"I think he disillusions himself or something. He doesn't really like people all that much, I guess. He only hangs out with his sister and her friends. He's in Gryffindor house if I saw the right colors of his tie. What a surprise there. He's a…fifth year, I think."

"Oh my god, he's so tall! I want him as my boyfriend!"

"Does he even have a girlfriend?"

"Of course not. He keeps to himself a lot, remember?"

While everyone else talked, Scorpius made his way out of the compartment and to an empty one. He pondered over Rose's reaction to the word 'mudblood', jotting down in his mind that he should never use the word, at least not when she was around or he'd have a wand shoved down his throat. And the guy that had calmed her down…was he really her brother. They hardly looked anything alike, but then again, he hardly looked anything like his little sister either.

* * *

"…Hugo…thank you for stopping me back there," Rose said quietly as they walked down the long hallway of compartments to no where in particular. 

"It was nothing. Besides, I was assigned as your caretaker here at Hogwarts, dearest sister." He smiled at her cheekily and added, "I also know though, that you really would've crucio'd that girl's arse. I really worry about you, Rose. You overreact so much when someone uses the 'm' word."

"I just don't like it. You know how much I hate it when people prejudice against you over something as simple as blood. It just…it just makes my blood boil, and I find myself saying and doing things that I wouldn't normally. It scares me, Hugo."

"Well…it seemed to have scared the other students as well. Hopefully now they'll pay closer attention to their Head girl. You can definitely count on that. And I'm here to keep your split personality in check, so don't worry."

"I guess, but should we really have left Scorpius back there with all those prefects? I feel kind of bad that he's handling them all alone. Do you think he's alright?"

"Rose, you're making it sound as though he's facing a horde of dragons. They're all just 5th-7th years, and if Malfoy's learned anything during his years at Hogwarts, it's how to defend himself. If he can't do that even against them, then well, he's not prepared for the outside wizarding world now, is he?"

"But there's just one of him and a whole bunch of them. Oh no, it's like feeding him to the dogs! I'm sorry, Hugo, but I have to go back. I'll see you at Hogwarts, okay?!" She gave a quick, frantic wave before sprinting off, back towards the way they had come.

Hugo sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, dad, but what we both dread is beginning to come true. It's only begun, and she's falling for him—bad." He looked at his hand and realized that it was still holding Rose's bag. "Oh, she's going to need this, isn't she? Oh well, I'll just give it to her during dinner. It's not like she can't just ask someone else for parchment and a quill."

* * *

Scorpius stepped out of the compartment, feeling that it was his duty to see that the prefects hadn't killed each other yet. He was Head boy and had to set an example after all. Before he'd started walking away, someone with curly brown hair ran in front of him. Instinctively he reached out and grabbed the person's forearm. 

"Let go of me, you pervert! I'm Head girl!" Scorpius smirked. He was right in the fact that it was Rose Weasley that had almost gotten past him. She continued to fight against his grip, threatening him with things from cursing him to ordering a hippogriff to chew his arms off.

"Are you done struggling yet?" He drawled amusedly, wondering why she hadn't bothered to turn around and see who the person holding her was. He watched as she froze and turned around.

"Scorpius," she breathed. Her voice suddenly climaxed as she yelled, "What are you doing out here?! What about those prefects?! We still have to ask them for ideas for this year's dances!"

"Stop screaming," he replied, pulling her into the compartment. "We can do all that ourselves. McGonagall just wants us to ask them so they'll feel more involved. Who cares though?" She sat on one side of the compartment, he on the other.

"Um…Scorpius, are you 17 yet?"

"Why?"

"Well," she began blushing, "Hugo sort of has my bag still. I would conjure some supplies myself, but I don't turn 17 until January. Since we're both here, we might as well start jotting down ideas and then we can discuss them tomorrow after classes or something."

"Or we could simply start it all tomorrow after classes and just talk now," Scorpius suggested smoothly, his feet propped up beside Rose. He leaned back comfortably and commented, "Our meeting today was interesting, don't you agree? I never thought the goody-goody Gryffindor princess would have it in her to threaten someone—and with an unforgivable at that!" He chuckled and watched her, her expression unchanging. "Why all the hostility, Rose? Just before, we were so close."

She didn't answer him. She simply sat there, head bowed, hands clenched in her lap.

"Rose?" Scorpius asked curiously, watching her. He moved to sit beside her. "Rose?" He slowly reached out a hand and cupped her face gently. Scorpius felt something wet, most likely tears, on his fingertips. His face met her tear-streaked one. "Hey, don't cry. I don't know how to handle crying girls," he said quickly. He hated it when girls cried; they always expected guys around them to offer a handkerchief or a shoulder to lean on. There was no way he was getting his robes dirty for a girl, even if she was Rose Weasley, one of the most sought out girls at Hogwarts. "Don't cry," he repeated more firmly. His thumb caressed her cheek, and he watched as her eyes widened. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Don't cry," he mumbled. "Don't cry."

"Stop," she replied pleadingly, "please stop, Scorpius." He leaned his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes.

"You say that, yet you don't move away," he replied, his dark eyes searching her face. "You want me here with you; you want me to hold and touch you. You want me to always be at your side." He moved to kiss her forehead again. "But don't worry; I won't be leaving your side, not ever."

"Rosie, we're here to protect you!" Fauna screamed, pulling the compartment door open. She instantly noticed that it was just Scorpius and Rose, and Rose was crying. She quickly summed it up and accused, "Get away from Rosie, Malfoy!" She ran over and pulled Rose away from Scourpius' grasp, standing in front of her like a shield.

"I see you found her." Flora said dryly behind them. "Come on, Rose, let's leave Fauna to whatever she's going to do." Flora ushered her out the door quickly, grabbing the back of her sister's robes. She didn't want her sister to get in trouble before school had even started or lose house points because she decided to beat up the Head boy. No, that wouldn't do any good at all.

"Flora, let go of me! Malfoy made Rose cry! I have to hit him since Rose is too nice to! Flora, let me go!" She yelled, clawing at the compartment door.

"Flora, Fauna, Scorpius didn't do anything to me, really. I was just being overemotional, just another one of those teenage girl things. You two must understand. Don't hurt Scorpius; he really didn't do anything, really." Rose tried explaining. "I got something stuck in my eye, and I asked Scorpius for help. And then I just started crying for no reason. Really, you guys, that's all there was to it."

"Yeah, yeah, that's all there was to it," Fauna said in a 'uh-huh, yeah, whatever' tone. "You better watch your back, Malfoy! Don't stray too far from the pack! Because if you do, I'll be there! I'll curse you for making Rosie cry!"

"Fauna, I told you Scorpius didn't do anything," Rose tried inserting again as Flora dragged the both of them away.

"You better watch your back, Malfoy!" Fauna's threat echoed throughout the Hogwarts Express. Most Hogwarts students just sighed to themselves before continuing with their conversations. First years popped their heads out and retreated back in fright at Fauna's murderous expression. Once Flora reached the compartment where all their friends sat, she put Rose in and then shoved Fauna in before moving in herself.

Scorpius sighed to himself. As long as the twins were around, he'd never have time to be alone with Rose.

**A/N: Well...that wasn't too bad...was it? I actually kinda like it. I hope this story goes somewhere, and I don't get too lazy with updating it. Thanks for reading:D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ah…it's been so long since I updated this. Well, it's definitely not as long as the first one, but it's something, and that's all that matters. Thanks everyone for putting up with me and reviewing. I should be happy that I got some, right? Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

"And this is the bathroom you will be sharing. I trust that the both of you will easily be able to decide who will use it when. Now, remember that tonight is the beginning of your rounds. I've already taken the liberty of reminding those who will go tomorrow." Professor McGonagall shut the bathroom door and made her way to the common room. She stopped abruptly and turned around to face two teenagers, ready to say something. But she stopped, observing. Rose looked so much like Hermione, almost like a clone. But Professor McGonagall knew better; Rose was more spirited, more impatient, but nonetheless intelligent. She excelled, always the top of her class, fretting over schoolwork. Hugo, on the other hand, had more of Ron's attitude toward school. He hardly paid attention in class and always seemed to land himself in detention, but it seemed the Granger blood in him wouldn't dare let him fail. Miraculously, he always ended up near the top of his class in (nearly) everything. Her eyes then drifted to Scorpius who stood there nonchalantly beside Rose, hands shoved in his pockets. Anyone who was anyone could instantly tell that he was a Malfoy, not only from his looks but from the fact that an air of confidence, with a tinge of arrogance, radiated off of him.

She looked from one to the other, wondering if she made the right choice in choosing Scorpius as Head boy. Rose, she hadn't doubted for a second, but…well…perhaps she was being overprotective. Having a teenage male and a teenage female in the same proximity was a little…stupid on the professor's part, McGonagall thought. She knew that Rose wouldn't do anything to violate school rules because it was Rose Weasley, but she did have Weasley blood running through her, so perhaps there was a hint of a troublemaker there. Scorpius on the other hand…well…it was Scorpius Malfoy, and that was enough of an explanation.

Then she had another thought. She wondered if Ron had received the notice that Scorpius was Head Boy. If he found out that a Malfoy was going to be working with his daughter…well there was already some trouble there. McGonagall hoped to Merlin that Hermione would be able to calm him down and make him think rationally. Hermione had always been good at that. She looked from one to the other once again; they were so different, like opposites to be exact. Rose was petite with curly brown hair and large doe-brown eyes, intelligent and kind with Weasley and Granger blood flowing through her, the poster child of perfection, while Scorpius was tall and pale with the trademark gray Malfoy eyes and white-blonde hair, the "pureblood" of Parkinson and Malfoy running through his veins, the definition of a playboy. She sighed tiredly; really, she was getting too old for this. Perhaps she'd retire at the end of the year and spend some time traveling, relaxing.

"Professor McGonagall…?" Rose asked, staring at her transfiguration professor/Head of House curiously. For the past few minutes, she'd given Scorpius and her a tour of the Head dorms. The common room wasn't large and spacious, but rather cozy like the Gryffindor common room. A comfy couch and two love seats surrounded the fireplace (which was currently burning brightly, casting shadows on the cream colored walls). The floor was covered with a soft, dark-blue carpet which was really strange, considering most of the floors in Hogwarts were made of stone and covered with colorful rugs. On one side of the fireplace was a Gryffindor tapestry, the lion roaring proudly, while on the other side was a Slytherin tapestry, the snake curled into itself, beady eyes overlooking the room.

Rose gulped and stepped away a little, closer to Scorpius. Somehow, she felt as if the snake's eyes were watching her, evaluating her every move. Nervousness crept into her system as she averted her eyes. Never had she been so nervous….Well…there was earlier that day with Scorpius, but….She found her eyes straying to him. He caught her gaze and smirked, causing an immediate blush to cross her cheeks. She turned away quickly and instead vouched to look at Professor McGonagall. Rose still couldn't believe that she'd cried in front of him; what an embarrassing thing to do.

"Professor McGonagall?" Rose asked again, her question before having gone unanswered.

"I'm sorry, Miss Weasley," McGonagall replied formally. "I think I'm just a little under the weather. Well, your rounds should begin soon, so I'll take my leave now. Good night Miss Weasley, Mr. Malfoy." She nodded to them both before making her way to the portrait hole and stepping through, the portrait swinging shut behind her.

"Alright," said Rose, going into bossy mode. "We might as well start rounds now since it's almost time for curfew anyway. Now, do I have my wand with me?" She searched through her robes, hoping to find it. "Um, just hold on a second. I'm going to check and see if it's in my room." She ran up the stairs, missing Scorpius' amused glance.

Her wand had simply been sticking out of the pocket of her robes. He hadn't been able to resist taking it. Now he was watching the end result. She was running to and fro, muttering softly to herself, her eyes darting here and there. Scorpius could tell she was getting worried. She stopped near him, her breathing labored, bent over, hands on her knees. "Why can't I find it?!" She demanded darkly, clenching her Hogwarts robe in her hands. She looked up at him, suddenly timid. She bit her lip before sighing. "Um…Scorpius…would you-would you happen to know where my wand could be? I seem to have misplaced it…which is odd."

Deciding to take her out of her torture, he slowly reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out her wand. She stared at her wand and then at Scorpius who stared back calmly, waiting for her reaction.

"Scorpius, why do you have my wand?" She asked through clenched teeth. Her arms were crossed, her body tense. She stood, waiting for his explanation. He'd taken her wand and made her worry for nothing. He claimed he liked her, but he went and did something as childish as this. She couldn't believe it. Then again, even if he was a seventeen year old guy, he was still a guy, and they took more time to mature. She had to keep that in mind; her mother had warned her about it. "Well?" Rose asked when he didn't answer her question. He simply sat there, twirling her wand like this was some amusing little game—which to him, it probably was. She knew she couldn't get it from him; he was physically stronger than her, and she hadn't learned wandless magic or anything of the sort yet. Sure she'd read books on it, but doing it and reading about it were two different things.

"Scorpius, what's your reason for taking my wand?" She demanded, putting on a calm façade. Her getting angry wouldn't do any good. She had to try and be calm, rational. Beside, he wouldn't really take her as a threat unless she had her wand. Perhaps that was why he'd taken it? Was he afraid she'd end up cursing him during their rounds?

"Reason?" He asked. "Is there supposed to be a reason?" He stopped twirling her wand.

"Yes," Rose bit out, "there's supposed to be a reason. You don't take people's things without reason." Already she was getting irritated. Perhaps the long day was just taking a toll on her. Maybe as soon as she took a shower and rested she'd be all right. But for now, she really needed her wand back.

"Okay…my reason…my reason. What could my reason be…? Hm…there is none." He smirked, knowing that her patience was about to boil over. He understood that she could be scary when she was angry, but she needed her wand. He had her wand, and even if she had had her wand, he would've known how to cool her temper. It was easy to make Rose Weasley flustered, especially when you were Scorpius Malfoy.

"Although," Scorpius continued, stopping Rose from beginning her rant, "I will give your wand back if I receive something in return. And you have to promise that you'll do it, no matter how much you may not want to."

Rose's growing glare lost some of its intensity as she contemplated. She really wanted her wand back, but knowing Scorpius, the promise wouldn't be something she'd enjoy so much. She bit her lip. She could always get another wand, but she didn't really want too. The wand currently held hostage in Scorpius' pale fingers had been with her ever since she was eleven. She'd performed all the spells she knew with it. Her wand was like her best friend (well, perhaps not her best friend, but it was important to her).

Rose sighed, having decided. She really, really hoped she wouldn't regret the decision. Scorpius, leaning against the couch, looked up, still smirking; he already knew her answer.

"O-okay," she mumbled.

"'Okay', what?" Scorpius asked, enjoying himself.

She looked up, her glare increasing ten-fold. She was already starting to hate this; and they were supposed to have started their rounds ten minutes ago! "I promise that I'll do whatever you tell me if you give me back my wand. However, if it's anything that will jeopardize my position as Head Girl, then I won't do it, even if I never get my wand back."

"Good," Scorpius replied. "Now, Rose, would you consider your wand valuable?"

"Of course," Rose replied immediately. "How am I supposed to perform magic without it? I'm not advanced enough to learn wandless magic yet." She muttered the last part under her breath, slightly ashamed.

"Good," Scorpius replied again. "Since you consider your wand so valuable, the price for getting it back should be just as high. So, Rose Weasley of Gryffindor House, would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?" He grinned cheekily, awaiting her answer.

Rose blinked once, twice. That was such a strange way of asking. Perhaps he'd been brought up saying strange things like that? Well, he was a Pureblood, so that must have had some effect. She flushed under his intense gaze and averted her eyes. Albus was never going to forgive her if she agreed, but she really needed her wand back. He'd understand, wouldn't he? No…he wouldn't. He could really be stubborn when he wanted to, a trait he'd gained from Uncle Harry, no doubt. And then there was her father…he wouldn't be too happy if he found out that she was going out with Scorpius. But her mother would be there to calm him down and explain that although Scorpius' father and her own had had their differences in school, Scorpius was different from Draco Malfoy (hopefully).

"Well, Rose? You should probably answer soon. We should've started our rounds fifteen minutes ago. Who knows what 'inappropriate' things students could be doing right now?"

"All right, fine, I agree." Rose answered quickly, wanting to get started on the rounds. If Professor McGonagall ever found out, she could lose her position as Head Girl! That was only one of the thoughts running through Rose's mind. She was so busy fretting that she gasped when her wand came flying toward her. She juggled it in her hands until it clattered to the floor. She blushed red with embarrassment, having it increase more when she heard Scorpius' low chuckles. She reached down to pick it up and examined it, making sure he hadn't done anything to it.

"Let's get going then on these stupid rounds," Scorpius suggested, standing straight and heading towards the portrait. "What are you waiting for?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

"S-s-sorry," Rose stuttered, following after him, fixing her robe. Scorpius Malfoy seriously was the most annoying prat on the face of the planet…even if he was good-looking and had a god-like body…No…Rose wouldn't succumb. She'd be the first girl ever to defy Scorpius Malfoy…even if she did have an itty-bitty crush on him.

**A/N: Hopefully I didn't use 'Hermione' or 'Draco' in here at all unless necessary. I did that once in the first chapter, and someone was kind enough to point that out. I was too lazy to go over it, so if I used Hermione instead of Rose or Draco instead of Scorpius, I'm sorry. Thanks for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Scorpius and Rose walked down the hallway, mostly silent. The only real noise was the sound of their footsteps echoing through the hallway. Rose bit her lip, wanting to break the silence, but she felt that doing so would be awkward. She stifled a yawn before looking at Scorpius who didn't seem the least fatigued. It'd been well over an hour since they'd started rounds. He walked slowly beside her, knowing that if he walked too fast, his long stride would well outmatch Rose's smaller ones.

Her stomach gave a small grumble suddenly, startling them both. Rose could feel a blush growing on her cheeks, its intensity increasing even more when Scorpius looked her way. She'd been blushing around him a lot, she noticed. She was about to suggest they go to the kitchens and get some food when another noise, one that was most definitely not Rose's stomach, caught their attention. Scorpius motioned her to be quiet to which Rose glared back as if telling him, 'I know that already, you dolt.'

They crept towards a fairly dark hallway lit with only a few torches. The barely muffled moans and gasps made Rose turn a bright, bright pink. Scorpius, on the other hand, seemed unaffected as they continued walking towards the source of the noise. Rose followed Scorpius' lead rather reluctantly; finding students in compromising situations was rather…uncomfortable to say the least. Didn't they know the consequences of what they did? Didn't they know there were so many things that could happen? Had none of them ever heard of sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancy? Maybe that was what the new advanced course was going to be about—sex, children, and the consequences. That would also explain why it would only involve the older students since they were most known for engaging in such…activities.

Scorpius stopped suddenly, Rose almost running into his back. She peered around him, and her jaw dropped as the pair pulled away. The girl quickly gathered her clothes, pulling her robe close, her eyes flitting towards them—well, mostly Scorpius. The boy, on the other hand, gathered his things like he had all the time in the world. Before the girl left, the boy pulled her close and leaned down to whisper something in her ear. She nodded once and then quickly fled.

"Hey, wait!" Rose called, her voice coming back to her. She quickly racked through her brain and pulled out her wand, performing a small tracking spell and sending it after the girl. It'd been a useful thing that their parents used on them whenever she or Hugo would wander off. Now that her animal was going after the girl, she could focus on the boy before her. Calm, sky-blue eyes stared back at her, waiting for her to say something.

"Wh-wh-what—Hugo, what were you doing?" Rose whispered, stepping towards her brother. Never had she expected her brother to do something like this. He was always calm and level-headed. Sure, there were times when he lost his temper as well, but that was rare. She knew he didn't like interacting with people outside of the family, and so she tried her best to be there for him at home and Hogwarts, but she'd found that growing harder as they grew older. The only times in Hogwarts she ever really got to see Hugo were during breakfast, lunch, dinner, and when he played Keeper in the Gryffindor quidditch matches.

"I'd think it'd be obvious, Rosalie," Hugo replied lightly, shrugging on his robe. He gave a smirk similar to Scorpius' own. With that said, he turned and began walking down the same way the girl had headed previously. It was totally dark, making it seem as if he was walking into a shadowy abyss, never to be seen again.

"Hugo, wait! Hugo!" Rose rushed after him, desperately trying to understand what had led her brother to do something like this. She was stopped, however, when Scorpius grabbed her arm.

"Rose, we still have our rounds to continue," he said.

"No," she replied stubbornly, trying to release his grip on her. "No, no, no, no, no! I have to find Hugo! Let me go! If I let him go now-If I let him go now…I'll never forgive myself! Let go, Scorpius!" She was growing more frantic. If she didn't chase after Hugo now, something bad would happen. She'd read about a situation similar to this in a book once. The character—a male as well—had done this sort of activity for attention; it was a cry for help, for someone to notice him. Rose was afraid that if she didn't answer that call, she'd lose her brother. It was a far-fetched guess, but she had to stop it.

"Scorpius…please…" she whispered, hoping he would sense her thoughts.

He stared at her with his dark, smoky eyes, thinking over whether he should allow her to follow or not. "Fine," he said suddenly, "but only if you tell all your little Gryffindor friends that you're mine, and the next time we go to Hogsmeade, it'll be just you and me, alright?"

"Scorpius, this is no time to be thinking about those sorts of things," Rose complained, looking down the dark hallway once again, hoping she'd be able to find Hugo. There were so many places he could've gone; he could've disillusioned himself as well which would make it twice as hard to find him.

"Just agree and you can go find your brother," he countered.

She bit her lip, looked down the hallway and then at him. "Fine." He let her go, satisfied with the answer he'd received. She muttered a quick, "Lumos," before running into the dark. Scorpius watched until the light became too faint and then suddenly disappeared. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. Since Rose wasn't there to keep him company, he may as well head back to their dorms.

"Well, it's nice to know Miss Perfect has something wrong with her life," he mused.

* * *

"Hugo! Hugo, come out! Please, Hugo! I need to talk with you!" Rose whispered anxiously, her eyes moving left and right. She should've thought to put a tracker on him as well. It would've made things much easier.

Rose stopped, thinking. A thought entered her mind, one place she knew of where her brother found solace. She put out the light her wand emitted, pulled her robes closer, and bounded out of the castle, just barely making it pass Filch and Mrs. Norris. She ran towards the lake to where a single tree stood. Once there, she was breathing heavily. She hadn't gained any athletic genes; they'd all gone to Hugo, it seemed. She leaned over, hands on her knees.

"Hugo?" She asked, looking up into the tree's branches. Although it was fall and the leaves should've been falling, the leaves of this one didn't. They'd changed color, vivid reds and oranges, but it seemed as though they didn't want to be the first to separate themselves. "Hugo?" She asked again, looking for the familiar head of red-brown hair.

"You know why I like this tree so much, Rose?" Hugo asked from above her. She noticed he hadn't used his special name for her, which meant this would be a conversation more serious than usual. "Every year I've watched it and noticed that it never loses its leaves. It almost makes it seem like the tree doesn't want to lose any of its leaves to winter. Wouldn't it be nice if humans were like that? Wouldn't it be nice if none of us ever had to be separated?"

Rose watched as he slowly began appearing in the branch a few feet above her head. He looked down at her and gave a whimsical smile. Rose smiled back tentatively, unsure of where the conversation was leading, but glad that there were still traces of her brother in the foreign being he'd become.

"Rosalie…it's your last year at Hogwarts. After this, I won't get to see you that often anymore. I hardly see you here, anyway, and something tells me that the time we can spend together will be shortened even more. You like Malfoy, don't you?" His last statement was so blunt that Rose had almost missed it, almost tumbling forward. Luckily, she caught herself.

"I-I-well-I-I don't know," Rose replied quietly, a small blush rising on her cheeks as she thought of the blonde-haired male. "Sometimes…he bothers me to no end, and he seems to enjoy tormenting me, but it's not in a harsh way. He's kind to me also…and…I want to give him a chance. I've never been with a boy before, so it'll be a new experience for me, and I know lots of people will be upset with me, choosing a Malfoy and all, but…."

"Rosalie, do you understand why Flora and Fauna feel the way they do towards Malfoy? Or why Albus feels the way he does?" Hugo asked after a moment's silence, comfortably leaning against the tree trunk, watching in amusement as Rose tried climbing the tree. He didn't allow her to answer; instead, he did. "You've been a part of our lives for so long, and the thought of losing you to someone—especially someone like Malfoy, what with his reputation and all—is something new for all of us. I think, given the choice, we'd rather just keep you with us, but I guess this is what comes with growing up. We have to learn to let go."

"That doesn't explain why Scorpius and I found you with that girl earlier," said Rose, triumphantly settling on a tree branch near Hugo's.

"I need to find someone else to hang out with once you leave Hogwarts. She just happened to be the girl for tonight." He shrugged as if it was no big deal. "After all, I can't find anyone if I don't go through a few trials and errors."

"But, Hugo, there's more to finding someone than through physical attraction! I wouldn't doubt if there's someone in this school that really, really, really likes you! Maybe if you tried talking with other people, then you'd find the special person you're looking for! She's probably right here in this school! Do you want me to ask Flora and Fauna to search for some candidates?"

Hugo chuckled at the thought. "No, it's fine. If she's meant for me, she'll show up eventually, right?" He looked over at the lake where the giant squid had surfaced, one tentacle raised toward the moon. "Well, it's late, Rosalie. You and I had better get to bed before Filch finds us. Getting detention wouldn't be good for our Head Girl, would it?" He jumped down from his spot, landing deftly at the base of the tree. Rose, on the other hand, bit her lip uncertainly. There was such a big height difference between the ground and the branch where she sat. If she had Hugo's height, it probably wouldn't be so bad, but she had her height, and that definitely wasn't much.

Hugo sighed and rolled his eyes playfully. He pulled out his wand and performed a simple levitation spell. "Rosalie, I think hanging around Malfoy is starting to affect your intelligence," he murmured as they began walking towards the castle.

"Scorpius isn't that much of an idiot," Rose replied in his defense.

"Right," Hugo responded dryly. "That's why he can't ask you out unless some sort of situation comes up where you have to say yes. He's a selfish little boy who's afraid of losing the one he likes to her little brother."

"Hugo…you aren't planning something with Flora and Fauna, are you?" Rose asked worriedly as they entered the castle.

"Those two psychos?" He asked disgustedly. "I may care for you, Rosalie, but not so much that I'd try to curse Malfoy every chance I got."

Rose gasped loudly before turning to Hugo. "I left him alone! What if Flora and Fauna were doing their own sort of patrol?! What if they did something to him?! Oh, no! I'm sorry, Hugo, really. I'll see you at breakfast!" She waved good-bye before running down the hallway to the Head dorms. Hugo sighed; it was like earlier that day on the train all over again.

* * *

"Chimera," she breathed. The portrait (one of a Chimera, oddly enough) opened. The fire was still burning bright, casting its strange shadows. Sitting on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table set in the center, his hair wet, as if he'd just stepped out of the shower, sat Scorpius, staring into the flames, brooding. He looked up when the portrait opened, and his eyes lit up in recognition.

She rushed to him and asked frantically, "Are you okay? Did anything happen on the way here? Did you run into Flora and Fauna? If you did, I'm sorry if they did anything. Why are you still up?"

"Your two bodyguards?" He asked. "I'm here and not in the infirmary as you can tell, which most likely means we didn't encounter each other tonight."

Rose breathed a sigh of relief, resting against the couch arm. "Tonight has just been too much," she muttered, standing up again. "I'm going to go shower," she told him. He didn't say anything, just continued to stare into the flames as if entranced.

When she stepped out twenty minutes later, he was still there, his eyes half-lidded. "Good night, Scorpius," she whispered, her voice carrying through the silent dorm (since the fire had died out not too long ago).

"'Night," he replied, unmoving. Rose gave him a worried look before shutting her door.

**A/N: Well, there wasn't much Rose/Scorpius in here, but at least we get a little more of Hugo, right? Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I also hope it didn't seem too rushed. While reading it over, I thought it seemed that way, but…I'll just leave that up to you guys.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm so sorry this is super duper late! I've been so lazy lately with basically everything, including my homework which I should've started days ago. And it's due Monday too. Ack! Anyway…hope you enjoy this chapter. :smiles:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

* * *

Rose tossed and turned uncomfortably. Scorpius' proposition ran in her mind. "'Tell your little Gryffindor friends that you're mine.'" She stopped squirming and slowly opened her eyes. She stared at the moving picture of her family, not just her mother, father, and Hugo, but everyone: Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny, Lily, James, Albus, Teddy, Victoire, Uncle Neville, Aunt Luna, Grandma Molly, Grandpa Arthur, Aunt Fleur, Uncle Bill, Uncle Charlie, Uncle Percy, Uncle George, Dominique, Louis, Molly, Lucy, Fred, Roxanne, Grandma Jane, Grandpa Joe, Aunt Audrey, and Aunt Angelina.

Rose reached out a hand and stroked the picture, smiling to herself. Her family was extremely large, but that was okay. Sure, they could be annoying at times, but most of the time, Rose was glad she had them all. She couldn't imagine living life without the presence of any of them. Her thoughts then became gloomy as she looked to another photo, filled with an old photo her parents had given to her a while ago. They'd made a copy of it from Uncle Harry; it was the original Order of the Phoenix along with a copy of the second Order. Rose swallowed back her tears and turned away from the photos, hiding her face in the pillows. So many lives had been lost during the war…she couldn't picture another one happening anytime soon. She hoped another one wouldn't occur, at least not during her lifetime. Maybe she was being selfish, but she wanted to keep every one of her friends and family close. She was afraid of losing them. So, in a way…she understood what Hugo had said to her.

If a war didn't happen while her or any of her family was alive, things would be alright. Wars could happen after she died; after all, she wouldn't know any of those people. Then she had another thought that made her want to scream into her pillow with frustration. Even after she died, she'd have a family left, wouldn't she? She'd probably have a husband, children, maybe even grandchildren. She wouldn't want any ill will on them. She huffed indignantly and decided maybe it was best to not have a family. But then what about Hugo? Would he have a family? He probably would.

Hugo hated being alone; ever since he was a kid, he hated being by himself. Someone had to be constantly with him. That made Rose worry a little. Who would be with Hugo and talk to him when she left Hogwarts? Sure, Lily could keep him company, but she had her own group of friends. Rose turned onto her back and stared at her ceiling, the glow-in-the-dark stars staring back at her. She hoped beyond all hope Hugo found a good person to, if not be his patient and loving girlfriend, then at least to become his best friend. He needed a best friend, someone he confess all his worries and vent his frustrations, and someone who would deeply understand him, or at least try to understand him. Hugo could be an overly complicated person to understand. Not even Rose, who had known him her entire life, really knew him.

She sighed to herself, feeling that more thinking was just giving her a headache. Instead of making all these problems for herself, she had to focus on homework and preparing for the winter ball. Since there wasn't going to be one during the fall time, the winter one would have to be more extravagant and one to remember forever. Didn't that just have the word 'pressure' written all over it? Rose wondered if Scorpius was any good at planning parties. He was a Malfoy, a pureblood, so he must've at least attended a whole bunch of fancy parties, if not hosted a ton at his manor.

'Oh well…Professor McGonagall must've picked Scorpius for a good reason, right? Watch…it'll turn out he doesn't even know how to decorate for a party. The only thing he'll know is how to be a host, and he won't even be that good of one. Oh…great…I've just jinxed myself, haven't I? Merlin, help me.'

Rose jolted out of bed and looked around wildly. She twisted around to see her clock and let out a breath of relief when she saw it was only 5:30 a.m. She had forgotten to set her alarm the night before and was worried she'd overslept. She lay back down with a sigh and closed her eyes, but found herself unable to fall asleep again. She threw off the covers and stumbled out, tripping over her carpet. She gave a small yelp when she fell, smashing her knee hard into the wood floor. She bit her lip hard, but not so much as to draw blood, and cradled her wounded knee. Maybe this was a premonition to a bad day. She really, really hoped not. To get a bad start on the first official day of school meant the rest of the year would be awful. Rose should know from experience. It'd happened in fifth year; the first day had been absolutely horrible, and the rest of the year was worse. Ironically enough, it'd been the year of exams, O.W.L.s to be exact. This year was N.E.W.T.s. In fifth year, if it hadn't been for Albus, James, Hugo, or Edward, she really would've fallen apart and lost her position as the top student of her year. This year was not going to be the same thing.

She stood, newly determined to make this a good—no, a great—day. She grabbed a few items before heading to the bathroom where she spent the next fifteen minutes or so brushing her teeth, washing her face, running a brush through her hair, putting on her standard Hogwarts uniform complete with white socks, black Mary Janes, the crimson and gold Gryffindor tie and robe, and her school bag full of her books for the first few classes of the day as well as extra parchment, quills, ink, and another leisure read. She shouldered the bulging pack and carried her extra book in her arms. She walked none too gracefully out of her room past the common room, noting Scorpius wasn't there. Hopefully he'd retired to his room sometime after she went to bed.

She walked out and down to the kitchens, her footsteps echoing down the empty hallways. She shivered to herself, slightly wishing she'd stayed in the dorms until there were more people or waking up Scorpius to accompany her. Usually during the day with the halls bustling with students, you didn't notice how incredibly lonely the castle seemed, but now…it was definitely noticeable. Rose quickened her steps and soon breathed a sigh of relief as she approached the painting leading into the kitchens. She tickled the pear and moved back a little to allow the portrait to swing open. She stepped in, making sure not to trip or anything. House elves moved to and fro, making last minute preparations for breakfast. The four large tables were already filled with some food and continued to grow rapidly. Rose stood off to the side, watching the commotion, just a little too shy to ask for help.

Of course, she didn't need to. A house elf soon appeared at her side and offered a smile.

"How may Mimi help Miss?" She asked, giving a small bow.

"Uh-could I have a chocolate scone, please? And…um…could I possibly have some hot chocolate put into a cup I can carry with me? I was thinking of working in the library before classes."

"Won't Miss get in trouble with the library lady?" Mimi asked, slightly confused. "Oh! Bad Mimi! Bad Mimi! Mimi is sorry, Miss!" The house elf berated herself, hitting herself once or twice in the head.

"You don't have to hit yourself, Mimi!" Rose exclaimed, reaching forward to grab the elf's arm. "You're right; I shouldn't have food in the library, but…well…" she fumbled around for words.

"Mimi understands, Miss," Mimi replied. "Mimi will be back right away." Before Rose could say anymore, the house elf zipped away and soon came back with a fresh chocolate scone and a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

"Thank you, Mimi," Rose thanked gratefully.

"You're welcome, Miss," Mimi beamed. "Mimi must get back to work now, Miss. Goodbye."

"'Bye," Rose replied, balancing her cup, scone, and book. She bit into her scone while walking down the hallway and marveled at the wonderful taste. Her mother would probably get a little mad with her, but house elves really were good at cooking. They were handy to have around.

Now she was convinced it was going to be a good day. The little accident from before had simply been due to her clumsiness, one she'd probably inherited from her father no doubt. Although she didn't have his lanky form, neither did she have Hugo's grace which he'd gained from their mother. She was stuck with the petite form of her mother and the not so gracefulness of her father. Just her luck, wasn't it?

She practically skipped into the library, feeling considerably brighter after consuming her breakfast. She'd probably need more later, but that was later. She could grab snacks from the kitchens in between classes. Beside her father's inelegance, she'd also inherited, in a way, her father's excessive need for food. She didn't consume as much as he or Hugo did in a day, but she definitely ate a lot more than most girls her age would dare to dream about. Yes, it was that bad.

She walked in, finishing up the last bits of her scone. Finding no nearby garbage, she stuffed the wrapping into her bag, making sure not to stain her brand new books. She began humming softly while sipping her hot chocolate, heading to her favorite area of the library. It was right in the center between two shelves of books, one filled with herb lore, the other with simple stories of the wizarding world that parents told their children. There was a window with beautiful colored glass and a small cushioned bench, perfect for sitting and reading.

Rose stopped abruptly, almost spilling what was left of her hot chocolate all over herself. Already sitting in her favorite spot was Lucien Zabini. As if expecting her, he looked up as she stopped, snapping his book shut.

"Good morning," he grinned, setting his book off to sit beside his book bag.

"Good morning, Lucien," Rose replied, walking further into the aisle. She set her things down near the herb lore shelf before shuffling through to find what she wanted to read. It was sort of strange, but in her dream, she'd found herself unable to brew the polyjuice potion. Sure, it was something hard, even for a seventh year at Hogwarts, but her mother had already perfectly brewed it in her second year. Rose knew she could brew it; she'd tried once, but no one, not even her, was willing to test it out. To put it bluntly, she wasn't as confident in her knowledge as her mother was.

Rose felt a little unnerved, trying to find the book. She couldn't figure out why though, until a book dropped down at her feet. She bent down to pick it up and briefly saw Lucien watching her with those dark eyes of his. Rose quickly turned away from him. Why was she feeling so nervous? She'd been alone with him plenty of other times before; why was now so different? Perhaps it was because…there were usually others around them. Usually it was just other students, but it was still someone. Now, however, it was just the two of them. Not even Madam Pince was there, watching them with that beady, hawk-like gaze.

"It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?" She managed to squeak out, avoiding his gaze. She replaced the book and continued to search for the one she wanted. For some reason, she couldn't remember the name. In this sort of situation, she would've asked Lucien if he knew what book she was talking about, but the atmosphere was a little too tense for her to do such a thing.

"Yes, it is. Shame it'll be winter soon. The trees and flowers will be dying," he replied calmly, stretching out on the cushioned seat, continuing to watch her.

"Well, they won't really be dying. They'll be…it'll be like they're hibernating. I mean—oh, it sounds so silly," she muttered to herself. "Lucien, would you happen to know which book holds the recipe for the polyjuice potion?"

"Yes," he answered simply.

"Would you happen to know where it is?" Rose asked, finally gaining the courage to look at him. She'd summoned all her Gryffindor pride for that.

"Yes," was his same monosyllabic answer.

"Could I have it, please?" Rose gritted out, feeling a small surge of annoyance rush through her. Really, boys could be so troublesome. They just had to make things more complicated.

"No," he said this time.

"Why not?" Rose finally demanded, hands on her hips. She was fed up with politeness and formalities. He was really starting to irritate her.

"Because," Lucien replied, giving the same old clichéd answer that could be given to any question.

"Because why, you prat? It's not as though the book belongs to you or anything. If you have it, I'd like to borrow it. I'll simply write the potion down myself and give you back the book."

"But if you lose it, I'll be the one to suffer Madam Pince's wrath," said Lucien in a dead-panned voice.

"That's why you should give it to me now. It'll take me fifteen minutes at most to copy everything down."

"And then I'll be stuck listening to you yell at me for hours because your potion got messed up. I'll be blamed for your mistake," Lucien countered, comfortably settling against the stone wall, waiting for her rebuttal.

"Rest assured, Lucien, that I won't mess up. Even if I do, I won't blame you," said Rose, trying to calm herself. It was like talking with Scorpius all over again. Maybe there was something about Slytherin boys that irritated her. She seemed to get along with boys from all other houses except that one. Perhaps snakes and lions could never be friends.

"Hm…how about a little trade-off then, Rose, since you're so determined to get this book?" Rose's eyes narrowed slightly. Was it just her, or was this déjà vu?

"What exactly do you mean by 'trade-off', Lucien?" She asked stiffly, shifting her weight from one foot to the next. Now she was really wishing someone else other than Scorpius had been made Head Boy. It seemed as though Slytherins would be running in and out of her life, toying with it. This was not something she needed during her last year at Hogwarts.

"You do all my Divination homework until the night of the first dance," he replied, waiting for her reaction.

"All your Divination homework?! Are you crazy?! I hate that class—no, wait, that shouldn't even be considered a class! How stupid! Lucien, you know I hate that subject! This is just pure torture! You can't be serious, can you?!"

"Quiet down, Rose. We're in a library," Lucien chided. "Or," he smiled slyly, "would you rather I suggest something else? Such as a date or a simple kiss?"

"Of course not, you git," Rose whispered bitterly. "I already have to deal with enough thanks to Scorpius. I don't need you breathing down my neck as well."

"So, are we on for you doing my Divination homework then?"

"Of course not! I already have my own homework as well as extra classes, and perhaps that extra course Professor McGonagall was talking about, and Head Girl duties as well. I can't stuff in your worthless homework as well."

"Then I guess you won't get the polyjuice potion then," he shrugged, picking up his book and turning to his marked page.

Rose was silent for a few minutes, fuming. Bloody Slytherins. "Fine," she muttered, "forget you and the polyjuice potion. I'll find some other potion to brew." She sniffed haughtily and grabbed her belongings. "One of the books mum and dad got for me must have the polyjuice potion in it. Grr…forget that prat Zabini."

She stormed out of the library, and her irritation only increased when she heard Lucien's chuckles echoing through the empty place. She made her way back to the common room and entered in a huff. Her morning was already ruined. Nothing could possibly make it worse. However, by telling herself that, she'd ultimately jinxed herself. Casually sitting on the sofa was Scorpius, towel-drying his hair, his Slytherin-colored tie thrown over the arm of the chair, his books and papers scattered all over the coffee table.

He looked up as she entered and lifted a brow when she sat down, crossing her arms and muttering softly.

"'Morning," he greeted, continuing to dry his hair.

"'Morning," Rose replied darkly, not caring whether she sounded nice or not.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" He asked amusedly, running a hand through his thoroughly dry hair. He preferred towel-drying it as opposed to using magic. He found his hair ended up softer when it was towel-dried, and every guy knew girls liked running their hands through soft hair. He set his towel aside and reached for his tie, fixing it himself.

Rose didn't answer him; the only words he could discern were, "Bloody Slytherin prats" and "arrogant, self-centered brats".

Rose looked at her watch and sighed to herself, deciding she should let go of her dark mood. If she didn't, it'd only stick with her for the rest of the day. She wanted today to be one of the best days she could possibly have. She stood, sighing, before picking her bag up off the floor.

Before she left, she heard Scorpius say, "Don't forget to tell your little Gryffindor friends."

"What?" She asked, stepping back in. "Tell them what?"

"My, my, my. I can't believe you've already forgotten, Rose. You're my girlfriend now, which means none of them can touch you so casually anymore unless they want to be hexed."

"B-b-but, it's-it's the first day of school," Rose stuttered. "If I tell them today, it'll make things for me go from bad to worse. They won't accept it; they'll absolutely refuse to believe the idea. I can't have the first day be the worst day."

"You're really into rhyming today, aren't you?" He commented, throwing his own bag over his shoulder. He headed towards the portrait hole and stepped out before her. "All the better for me then. I'll have you all to myself." He smirked at the idea before heading in the direction of the Great Hall.

"W-wait, Scorpius! You can't be serious, right? I'll tell them, just not today! Scorpius!" She began whining, following him down the hallway.

* * *

Rose fidgeted, feeling Scorpius' eyes on her back. She'd have to tell Albus and Edward about her new relationship with Scorpius. She knew they'd probably be upset with her, but it'd be fine after a little, right? They'd eventually get used to the idea, right? She tried reassuring herself as she watched them eat and enthusiastically talk about quidditch.

"Um, Albus, Edward," she spoke up, stopping their conversation. Both pairs of eyes turned to her, making her nerves go on hyper drive. Would it have been easier to have Scorpius announce it in that way of his or was this the easier route? She breathed in and out, gathering more of her Gryffindor courage. She should have more than enough of that.

"I-well-you see-um-I—I'm going out with Scorpius Malfoy," she said all in one breath. She smiled, mentally patting herself on the back. It hadn't been that hard. However, when she looked up at the two, they were still cluelessly staring at her, food in each hand. Her smile dropped; she'd already said it once. Why was there a force making her repeat it again? Why?

"Alright, Rose, the only thing I heard was Malfoy. Now, what about him?" Albus' expression suddenly turned serious as the dropped his food back onto his plate.

Rose gulped, silently hoping to Merlin he wouldn't get angry and announce to the entire school what she was about to tell him. Edward, she knew, would silently accept and absorb it, but Albus was the definite other matter.

She bit her lip; once she explained that she needed her wand back and that the relationship wasn't real, Albus would calm down. It was a surefire plan. "Well," she began, "you know Scorpius and I have been assigned the positions of Head Boy and Head Girl." Albus' eyes narrowed at her use of his enemy's first name. "And, the thing is…I'm…I'm going out with him. He's my…boyfriend." She added the part for further emphasis so there would be no misunderstandings.

Albus began chuckling, strangely enough. "I get it…he's just a guy that's become your friend, right?" He asked, walking down the pathway of denial, taking the literal meaning of a boy friend.

"No," Rose replied firmly, "he's my boyfriend, as in someone I'll hold hands with and go down to Hogsmeade with."

"Rose, you can't be serious, can you?" Edward asked, looking over her shoulder at Scorpius who boldly returned his gaze.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be? He's not that bad once you get to know him."

"Rose, you hardly know him. As far as I know, beside the small contact you had with him in fifth year and the small contact this year, you don't know anything," said Albus. "I mean, I guess if you lusted after him, then you'd go out with him right away, but I don't really think you're that shallow of a person."

"I do too know things about Scorpius," Rose stated defiantly. "I definitely know more than you, Albus. Even if he is your rival, that doesn't make him mine."

"But, Rose, it's practically bred in us to hate his family. Don't you know that our parents spent their Hogwarts years hating his father? I didn't want to believe that could happen to me, but I despise the guy. I'm surprised you don't too."

"Well, we're not our parents, are we? And I'm not you, either. I'm Rose Weasley, and I make my own choices as to whom I like and dislike. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I saw Professor McGonagall leave. I need to talk to her about that extra class she mentioned yesterday." Rose gathered her things and left the Great Hall. It hadn't gone as bad as she'd imagined; perhaps Albus was still in shock and the whole emotional tirade would come later. Better when there weren't many people than when the entire school was there.

* * *

Every seventh year was gathered in the Great Hall, surprisingly enough. Well, there was the exception of a few sixth years, but what did that matter? Professor McGonagall stood at the head of everyone, waiting for them to settle down. Soon they did, noticing their Headmistress waiting for them. Professor McGonagall almost let out a smile. 'At least they're well-trained,' she thought to herself before beginning to speak.

"Students, seeing as so many of you have decided to enter this class, we will have our meetings here in the Great Hall. Now, I will let Miss Valentino take over and explain what this class will be about." Professor McGonagall stepped aside and allowed a small girl to step forward.

She gulped nervously, feeling the eyes of her upperclassmen watch her every move. She cleared her throat and began speaking the lines she'd memorized last night. "This, in actuality, is not really what one would consider a class. Rather, it's like a branching off of Muggle Studies. During the year, we'll be visiting various cities, nurseries, daycare centers, businesses, and the like during this class. Professor McGonagall has felt tension rapidly growing between the houses, something that will not be overlooked so lightly. The best way is to begin with the older students who will hopefully set a good example for the younger ones as well as once they leave Hogwarts. Everyone is assigned a partner whom they must assist during these small tasks. The only real assignments are doing whatever is told of you by your boss, Professor McGonagall, or me and to keep a journal, writing down your thoughts and progress on whatever it is you're doing. The journals will be collected once every month, whenever someone has free time to check them over. During breaks, we'll be visiting more famous cities and simply relaxing then." She stopped and turned to Professor McGonagall who nodded. "That's all. Now, the papers being passed to you list your name as well as your partners. You must find that person, hence the name tags you each received at the entrance. You cannot switch unless you feel it's absolutely necessary. Today will simply be spent getting to know your partner."

Tomoko sat down, breathing a sigh of relief. She'd gotten through what she needed. Now she could relax and just wait until their next class period a couple days from then. The doors opened, and she looked up. She watched with bated breath as Hugo walked down to where Professor McGonagall was sitting.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley?" She asked when he was within earshot.

"I was just recently transferred to this class," he stated, handing her a small form. She looked it over and handed it back to him.

"Seeing as we've already made arrangements for everyone else and changing things would only mess up our order," she turned to Tomoko, "Miss Valentino, if you wouldn't mind participating in this class as well? Since you're going to be here attending anyway, you should join."

"O-oh, I-I don't really think I should," Tomoko replied shyly. She knew how many girls liked Hugo; if they found out she was partners with him for something this big, they would definitely hunt her down. "I wasn't really planning on participating so thoroughly. I think Mr. Weasley would do better with another group."

"No, no, this is fine. Two people per group will be much easier to handle than three in a single group. It gives the other person a chance to focus on their partner one hundred percent rather than simply fifty percent or less."

"Alright," Tomoko replied softly, bowing her head. She was hardly one to go up against a teacher.

"Good," Professor McGonagall replied, satisfied. "I'll let you sit here beside Miss Valentino, then, Mr. Weasley. I have some things I must see too." She disapparated then, leaving the two alone.

Tomoko swallowed her saliva, trying to calm herself. She wasn't that good around boys. She tended to make more of a fool out of herself than usual. She fiddled with her robe and shakily stood to retrieve some of the same papers she'd handed out. She wordlessly handed one to Hugo and kept one for herself. She brought out a notebook and a quill, quickly scratching down her name and then his.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know your name," she heard him say. She looked up and then diverted her eyes. He really was good looking. She then saw some upperclassmen girls glaring at her. She turned to look at her shoes instead.

"Tomoko Valentino," she murmured quietly. Although it seemed impossible that he'd hear her, he ended up writing down her name without a problem.

"So, Tomoko," he began, "what's your favorite color?"

"Sky blue," she replied immediately. Actually, it was green, but…. 'Oh, no, I'm turning into a fan girl,' she thought to herself. She was becoming one of Hugo's fan girls. She'd hardly talked to him and already he'd managed to create butterflies in her stomach. She felt a little light headed and anxious. She felt more self-conscious than ever.

She lowered her head even more. She definitely wasn't beautiful, she knew that for sure. She had zits, not a whole ton that she'd be considered a pizza face, but enough to know she wasn't at all beautiful. Tomoko knew being confident was the key to being beautiful, but where would she get confidence? She'd watched girls she considered to be less attractive than her get boyfriends, yet here she was, fifteen going on sixteen, and she'd never even had a guy tell her he liked her. Even though no one said it either, she knew her younger sisters were definitely much prettier than her. They'd grow up to be more gorgeous than their excuse for an older sister. Lots of times, she worried they'd get married before her. Just the other day, her sister had been saying there were two boys in her class that liked her. And she was only six for crying out loud!

Tomoko fingered her skirt dejectedly, feeling put out. Even if it was just once, she really wanted a boy to tell her he liked her. Or…just to have a boy tell her she was beautiful. One of her closest friends, Celia, had told her she was beautiful a bunch of times, but that wasn't the same. Just like in her story books and fairy tales, she wanted a handsome prince to save her, to tell her she was precious to him, to say she was more beautiful than any other woman, even if it was just in his eyes.

"Favorite food?" Hugo asked, watching the girl. During the time he'd asked the first and second question, he'd seen the way she'd lowered her head and stooped her shoulders. 'No confidence,' he'd immediately said to himself. Sure she didn't have a perfect complexion, and maybe she was a little short and big in the thighs, and she had eyebrows that weren't in need of serious plucking but could use a little, but she didn't have to show she didn't have confidence. He leaned forward, resting his hand in his palm and continued to watch her. Perhaps he'd try something with this girl. She was different from the ones he'd made contact with here and there; maybe that was what he needed. It'd be like a breath of fresh air, really.

"Favorite food, Tomoko?" He repeated the question.

"Oh, c-curry," she answered, finally looking up to answer him. She caught her gaze and looked away at somewhere, anywhere that wasn't him.

"You know," he began, jotting down her answer before setting the paper down, "you should be more confident in yourself. If you show that you don't like yourself, guys are going to pick up on that vibe and ignore you. Girls will pick up on it and start picking away at you."

"As if you would know," Tomoko muttered, smoothing out her skirt. How would the infamous Hugo Weasley know about confidence? He would have enough of it and could say such things easily because he was beautiful. Every girl wanted him, and almost every guy envied him. He'd probably been beautiful his entire life; she bet there was never one person in his life that didn't envy him in some way.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "These are things I pick up from observing. There are people crueler than those you meet in school. If you don't toughen up now, when will you?"

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Tomoko asked, fed up with him. "How am I supposed to be beautiful and gain confidence if I don't know how? Doing those things is harder than it seems to those as lowly as me. I'm sorry I can't suddenly wake up one day and be the most gorgeous female on this planet. I'm sorry I don't know how to do my hair or makeup or choose clothes that will make me look great. I'm sorry for not being born beautiful!" Now she was sobbing, tears streaming down her face. She bent forward, crying into her hands, trying desperately to wipe the tears away. Unlike those actresses who looked beautiful when they cried, Tomoko didn't. Her face got red and blotchy, making her uglier than she already was.

Hugo actually felt sympathy for the girl. Something in her called out to him and pulled him in. He stood and dragged his chair over to sit closer to her. He bent his head down and whispered to her, "Why don't I just become your boyfriend then? I'll help you gain more confidence."

She said nothing, only continued to sob and hiccup. She kept her face hidden away from him, knowing he'd probably reel back in shock at her ugliness. If he died because of her, she'd end up dying because of him as well. Hugo was always surrounded by beautiful people; the fact that he was so kind to her now made her wonder. Was he really serious? Was he joking with her? She knew the types of girls he went out with, the tall, willowy figured ones or the short, curvaceous ones. Either way, they were attractive, drawing other guys to them like bees to honey.

"I-i-if-if I—if I e-e-end up—if I end up fall-falling f-for y-you, what-what will—what will hap-happen to m-me in-in the e-end…?" Tomoko whispered. She was scared of taking up his offer, especially if he meant it as nothing but a joke he thought harmless. If she ended up really liking him and he didn't feel the same, what would she do then?

"Maybe I'll end up falling for you too," he replied without so much as a stutter.

His answer made her laugh, unbelieving. "The day that happens will be the day I become beautiful," she replied forlornly, "meaning it will never happen, not in this lifetime or the ones following after."

"So are you willing to take up my offer?" Hugo asked, peering at the small girl sitting beside him.

"O-o-only if—just—p-please prom-promise me-please promise you won't hurt me," Tomoko answered. "I-I-I'll—I'll on-only take it u-up on-on that condition. Just that one and no-nothing m-more."

"Don't worry," he murmured, reaching forth to run a hand through her hair. At the last second, however, he pulled back, feeling that perhaps it might be a little too much too soon. By this time, he'd probably be snogging another girl senseless, but this girl was special. In some way, he hoped he did end up falling for her. Not only would he have found someone beyond decent, but he'd have someone to stay by his side throughout their years at Hogwarts and maybe even beyond if he was lucky enough.


	5. Chapter 5

****

A/N: Um…wow…it's been a while, hasn't it? Ha ha…I hope this is good enough to make up for my months of disappearance. I've been so lazy and uncreative lately. And I just got back from California…I loved the beach. That's about the only thing I really miss…beside my family, but still. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Tomoko tapped her quill against the parchment, staring into space. She sighed, rubbed her eyes, and set down the quill. Her Potions essay stared up at her, taunting her and reveling in the fact that it could not be written. She let out a small scream of irritation and began tearing up her weak attempts at an essay. She'd been sitting there for almost an hour, trying to write, but no inspiration had come. She knew all about Veritaserum, but somehow she couldn't write anything on it.

She stared at the pile of books on her left and sighed, rubbing her temples. There was so much to do, but she couldn't bring herself to stay up and finish it. She moved across the room to turn on her bedside lamp. She then turned off her desk lamp and lay in bed. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Tomoko pulled the covers up to her chin and closed her eyes, hoping to rest for even a couple of minutes. However, images of Hugo Weasley continued streaming through her mind.

The way he'd looked at her so seriously and so honestly was stuck in her brain. Her eyes opened instantly, and she was left staring at the wall. She removed the blanket and searched for a book to read. She needed something to keep Hugo off of her mind.

After all, if it were a fantasy, a love story, not real life, Tomoko would've already met Hugo numerous times outside of class, merely by chance. She'd run into him in the library and they'd talk about everything, both in the muggle and wizarding world. Every once-in-a-while, she'd say something funny and he would laugh. He would look at her kindly; he'd brush his hand against hers when they passed in the Great Hall during dinner. Maybe once, he'd send her a note, telling her to meet him at that instant. She'd find him, sitting somewhere beautiful, like a garden filled with flowers ranging from violet and indigo to pearl and pink. Fireflies, as well as the moon, would be their light. A large willow tree would stand guard to the garden's entrance, and many smaller oaks, birches, and maples would surround the area. Maybe even butterflies would appear, fluttering from one place to another.

He'd wave her over, and she'd sit down beside him. They'd simply sit and talk like usual, only this time, her night would end with a sweet kiss, a kiss she'd only imagined and dreamt about.

Tomoko scoffed to herself as she crawled into bed, a copy of Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier in hand.

If her fantasy were true, then she'd be beautiful. She'd be 5'7" with long, tanned, slender legs. Her waist would be thin and her hips round. She'd have size b-cup breasts, not too big, but not too little. Her stomach would be flat and her skin evenly tanned all over instead of the chalky white it was now. Her puffy hair, only curly after she showered, would be replaced with luscious curls or silky straight hair. Her acne would be gone and her face would be perfectly flawless in every way.

She could only wish for it. Even if she was a witch, she didn't want magic to conceal her ugliness. She wanted a miracle of some sort, one that would take away her physical flaws forever. She set down her book and pulled her comforter over her head. She knew wishing for the impossible was a bad habit to pick up on, but she just couldn't help it. It hurt to be surrounded by such beautiful people who shined even in their Hogwarts uniforms.

Knock, knock.

Tomoko groaned lowly. Who could it be? Didn't they know they were breaking the rules? She threw off her covers and slowly stood up, making her way to the door.

"Who is it?" She asked, running a hand through her hair.

"Celia and Dmitri, silly. Who else knows where your room is?" A voice on the other side answered impatiently.

Tomoko rushed the last few feet to the door and threw it open. Sure enough, standing in her doorway were her best friends, Celia and Dmitri Brooks. Celia was 5'3", slim-figured, with a bright blonde (which could probably even match Scorpius Malfoy's) bob and eyes the color of sapphires. She was a tomboy of sorts and always wore the boys' uniform, even if the girls' skirts were knee-length. Now, however, she wore a pair of black shorts (that puffed a little and then tightened) over a pair of stripped stockings with a plain white tee underneath a red spaghetti strap. A black belt hung around her hips. A black ribbon held back her bangs and a huge black backpack hung on her shoulders.

Dmitri, on the other hand, was a brunette with long bangs that he had to constantly brush back. He was 5'9" and still growing, his limbs long and thin. He was graceful, as was expected. Dmitri was quieter than Celia, but kinder. He put everything nicely, even to those he didn't get along with. He wore a white turtleneck underneath a black sweater vest with a pair of black pressed pants. A black sweater hung over his arm.

Dmitri smiled at her briefly before taking Celia's backpack. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hi, Tomo! How are you? Are you okay? How was your first muggles studies class? Hm? Hm? Has anyone been mean to you? If they have, I'll make sure to beat them up. Don't worry; I won't get caught by McGonagall like last time, I promise. I took judo and tae kwan do over the summer, so my fighting skills even have a little grace to them. You should film it or something. I bet it'd be pretty cool. But, anyway, are you going to invite us in? It's freezing."

"That's why I told you to change on the plane. It's cooler here than it is at home," Dmitri softly chided, setting the black sweater around Celia's shoulders. "But, Tomoko, are you okay? You look…frustrated."

"Yes, well, I have so much to tell you guys. Come in; hurry before one of the prefects or Heads discovers you." Tomoko quickly ushered them in and told them about her short encounter with Hugo Weasley.

* * *

Rose jolted out of bed, turned to her clock, and screamed. It was almost 8:30 a.m. She'd slept through her alarm, breakfast, and part of Transfiguration. She jumped out of bed, silently cursing Scorpius. The least he could've done before leaving for breakfast was knock on her door and say something.

She was able to brush her teeth, wash her face, put her hair in a ponytail, throw on her uniform, and gather her homework in ten minutes. She stumbled out of the dorm portrait, slipping on her shoes, and sped down the corridors.

Rose stopped in front of Professor McGonagall's classroom and took a deep breath. She knocked, taking another deep breath and gathering her Gryffindor courage. The door opened, and Rose felt self-conscious as every pair of eyes in the room stared her down.

"It's nice of you to finally join us, Miss Weasley. Ten points from Gryffindor," Professor McGonagall said before continuing with her lesson.

Rose turned a light pink as she rushed to an empty seat next to Albus.

"Good morning," she whispered, taking out her parchment, quills, and inks.

Albus ignored her as he continued to jot down notes, something he hardly ever did. Rose gave a small huff at the snub and turned slightly away from him. She couldn't concentrate for the rest of class. Her morning was officially ruined. To make matters worse, in the last few minutes before class ended, while everyone was quickly looking over their homework before shoving it in their bags, Rose's stomach grumbled loudly.

She cringed and lowered her head, feeling extremely embarrassed. She wondered if she had enough time to get to the kitchens and then to Potions before class began. It wasn't that she was scared of Professor Slughorn; he liked her, actually, but she didn't want to start a bad habit. If she started going late to class, she'd soon be skipping class, and that could not happen, especially not this year.

Thump. Rose looked up. A chocolate chip muffin lay on her desk. She looked around and smiled at Albus' retreating back. She knew it was him by the way he'd just closed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. No matter how mad he was at her, he still cared.

The bell rang, dismissing them. Everyone quickly made for the door and entered the hall, chatting excitedly and catching up with friends. Rose picked up her bag and her textbook, stuffing the muffin in her mouth. Even if she looked delicate, she wasn't like that in any way. If she was hungry, she ate…and it was usually a lot. So into her muffin, she barely managed to notice Scorpius, who she would've run into and splattered the rest of her muffin on, if she hadn't looked up in time.

"Good morning," Scorpius greeted as they walked out side by side.

"'Morning," Rose replied after swallowing. She said nothing else as she continued eating. However, she began to feel a little irritated with the way Scorpius would occasionally glance at her. "What?" She finally asked, resisting the urge to stuff the last huge piece of her muffin in her mouth. "Have you never seen a girl eat before? Well, I'm sorry I don't want to be anorexic like most girls nowadays."

"I didn't say anything," Scorpius said, looking genuinely surprised by her statement. "I think it's good to have a healthy appetite. However, it doesn't seem you're growing any taller. Maybe all the food you're consuming is going the other way?" He looked at her slyly, a smile on his face in an attempt to hide his comment.

"Scorpius Malfoy," Rose bit out, "one day you're going to wake up…and believe me…you will regret it. Besides, my shortness is due to my mother. I can't help it if I inherited her shortness instead of my father's tallness. Then again…I don't know if I'd want to be a giant…but then I could make fun of you because I'd be taller than you…most likely. Hm…now I sort of wish I did get dad's height genes."

Scorpius chuckled, watching Rose amusedly as she pondered over whether she liked her height now or if she'd rather have her father's genes. He found it rather cute, to be totally honest. He wondered how she'd react if he told her that. He opened his mouth to make his comment, when he was rudely interrupted by—

"Rosie, Rosie, Rosie! Where are you?!" Fauna screamed down the Hogwarts corridors. "Rosie—Flora, I found her!"

'Of course…I almost totally forgot about these two,' Scorpius thought to himself, letting out a small sigh. They hadn't been around the last few days. He'd been so sure they'd gone off and died somewhere, or at least disappeared out of Hogwarts, but perhaps…perhaps they'd been watching the entire time. Scorpius let out a small shudder. That was a disturbing thought.

"But why," he muttered crossly to himself as he watched Fauna appear around the corner ahead of them, "why now of all times do they decide to appear? They must not have a life of their own. Maybe I should hire one guy to handle one of them and another guy to handle the other. I wonder if they even care about guys. Hm…it's an idea."

Fauna came running at the pair at full speed, a look of determination on her face, her fiery red hair streaming behind her. She grabbed Rose's hand and swung her around so she stood behind Fauna. She glared at Scorpius who returned it, vowing to himself that he wouldn't lose to the little 5th year.

"Rose, where've you been?" Flora asked from behind Scorpius (who wanted to badly turn around so he could face both twins, but the glaring contest came first). "Fauna and I almost thought something bad had seriously happened to you. You disappeared off the map."

"Map…?" Rose asked, throwing her muffin wrapper in her bag.

"Yep, map. Oh, here, catch Rosie," Flora said, throwing something over Scorpius and Fauna's heads. Rose caught it…just barely. Just because she played Keeper for her cousins while they practiced Quidditch didn't mean she was any good at it.

Rose looked curiously at the thing Flora had thrown to her. She smiled, touching it softly. It was a little Scorpius doll, strangely enough. It had his blonde hair, dark gray eyes, and familiar smirk. He was dressed in the Slytherin uniform, complete with black shoes, a green and silver tie, and even a robe with the Slytherin crest (and the robe also came off, revealing the gray vest and white undershirt).

"What's this for?" Rose asked as Flora walked over, grabbing her hand.

"It's actually a voodoo doll. I told Fauna not to make it too detailed, but she said the more detailed it is, the better it works. She's more into this stuff than I am, so I trust her. Don't you like it?"

"It's…nice, but don't you think people will find it weird if they spot me carrying around a doll of Scorpius Malfoy?"

"Maybe, but it'll become a trend. Hey, Fauna, you could get money if other people want these dolls. I bet all Malfoy's fan girls will want one. Just be extra careful that no one ever sees you with one, okay? Malfoy's fan girls might attack you for it." Flora said to Rose. She looked over shoulder and yelled, "Fauna, stop that right now. We have to get to class. You can finish later."

Fauna frowned, added some more strength into her glare, and turned away abruptly, following after Rose and Flora. Scorpius inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He'd almost looked away. He looked at his watch, swore, and began running toward Professor Binns' classroom.

* * *

Tomoko gulped nervously as she led the seventh years to their first community spot, a nursing home. She glanced around quickly, making sure to keep up with Professor McGonagall who walked along beside her. It seemed everyone was getting along with their partners, which was good to see. Perhaps they'd all matured a little over the years. She sighed, wondering if that was the reason her partner was talking with a few seventh year girls and not her. The last class must've been a dream, she concluded. Her imagination had simply gotten the better of her. If Hugo really were her boyfriend, then he would at least be walking beside her, not with other girls.

If Tomoko had enough guts, she would stomp over there, grab his hand, say some nasty things to her upperclassmen, and then drag him to where she now stood. But she was Tomoko Valentino, and in the real world, all she would do was stand there, glance over every once-in-a-while, and wish Hugo would at least acknowledge her existence.

"Yes, I'm Minerva McGonagall." Tomoko looked up, and her eyes widened as she just barely dodged Professor McGonagall's shoulder. "This is Tomoko Valentino, the student who will be in charge of matters while I am absent," Professor McGonagall gestured towards Tomoko. "You can talk to her now, since I have things to attend to." She nodded at Tomoko and made her way through the throng of students, Tomoko staring at her back, mouth slightly agape.

Tomoko had always tried to be independent, but this was a little too much for her. She'd thought Professor McGonagall was going to at least stay until all the students had been split. Tomoko hadn't even prepared herself to talk as a representative. She mentally kicked herself. If she were a professional, she'd be able to come up with something on the spot without sounding like a little kid.

"Uh, um, well…that is," Tomoko gulped. It wasn't like the woman's stare was helping Tomoko feel any more confident in herself. Did she have to look down her nose so much? She'd seemed so friendly with Professor McGonagall, and then suddenly it comes time for Tomoko to take over and she's as cold as a dead fish.

"Every student has already been split into pairs," Hugo spoke up, suddenly beside her. The woman's gaze turned from Tomoko to Hugo. "However, there are some that may need some assistance every once-in-a-while. I'll make sure to point them out as we're assigning rooms. A nurse doesn't have to constantly be with them, but if they could have some way of contacting a nurse if one is needed would be helpful."

"All right," the woman replied, swerving around and walking down the hallway. Hugo led the way as she pointed at doors. He would signal towards a pair and wait until they entered the room, making sure to mention the ones who would need nurses (namely the pureblood pairs were still a little too ignorant of the muggle world).

Tomoko walked beside him, filled with awe. She wondered if he'd been thinking about what to say, or if he came up with it while he talked. He sounded so professional; it made Tomoko even more jealous of him. But another feeling filled part of her. She felt happy that, in a way, he'd come to her rescue. Hugo had saved her by taking charge.

The large group slowly twiddled down until it was simply Tomoko, Hugo, and the scary woman.

"This room shall be yours," she said before swiftly turning and walking down a different hallway.

Tomoko looked at the room number, and her eyes widened. She grabbed the doorknob and walked in first, Hugo following a few steps behind her.

Light streamed in through the window, which ran from the ceiling to the floor and covered an entire wall. A large bookshelf and desk were set across from the bed. Elegantly crafted vases decorated the room. A beautiful arrangement of orchids stood in a simple glass vase on the table beside the bed. Sitting in the bed, a book in his lap, was an old man with dark, graying hair. He looked up as they entered and removed his reading glasses. His eyes were sharp and seemed foreboding with their dark color.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Columbo. These two are the ones I w-told you about yesterday. If they are any trouble, feel free to contact the front desk or myself." The woman gave a quick bow and left, shutting the door behind her.

Hugo and Tomoko turned to the man who continued to look at them without blinking, no hint of emotion on his face.

"_Why is that woman so afraid of you?" _Tomoko asked amusedly, laughing a little. Hugo glanced at her, a little surprised. One, he had no idea what she said, and two, it seemed a little out of character for Tomoko to say something first. Tomoko noticed this little look and flushed a little. "O-o-oh, H-Hugo, this-this is my grandpa, Daniel Columbo. Grandpa, this is Hugo Weasley, a classmate of mine."

"Actually, sir, if I may be so bold, I'm Tomoko's boyfriend," Hugo spoke up.

"Oh?" said Daniel, lifting an eyebrow. "Your sisters will be upset if they find out, you know."

"Yeah," Tomoko replied, laughing uneasily. "How are you doing?"

"This place is very boring. However, I am not going to let your grandmother win our bet. I absolutely refuse to," he said, laying his book beside the orchids. "These orchids are very beautiful. You sent them before you began school, right? I sent a thank you. Did you receive it?"

"Um, yes, I think I did. How's grandmother?"

"She's—"

"I've made it completely clear I do not need any help to get to the garden! I will be fine alone! You'd only get me more lost in this damned place! Ugh! Teenagers are so aggravating! You should be more obedient like my beautiful grandchildren!" The door burst open. Hugo backed away slowly, a mixed look of confusion and caution on his face.

A petite woman stood in front of the doorway. She had long, flowing, chocolate brown hair and bright azure eyes. Her flawless, pale skin shined brightly like newly polished diamonds as her cherry pink lips curved in an adoring smile.

"Tomo!" She squealed like a school girl, running towards Tomoko with boundless energy. The woman threw her arms around Tomoko, almost knocking the girl over. "Tomo, sweetie, what are you doing here?" She asked excitedly, brushing Tomoko's hair away from her face. "Danny, why didn't you tell me Tomoko was visiting? You wanted our dear, sweet granddaughter all to yourself, didn't you? Meanie!"

Hugo looked from one face to another. The family was certainly strange, or at least what he could tell. Well, perhaps it was only Tomoko's grandmother that was a little odd. Her grandfather seemed perfectly normal. He wondered what the rest of Tomoko's family was like. It both excited and worried him.

"Tuyen, dear, you were the one who slept through the nurse's announcement. They informed us last week, and Tomoko even sent a letter saying she'd be visiting soon," Daniel answered with a sigh. Really, his wife could be so childish. He looked up, remembering there was an outsider in the room. "Tuyen, this young man seems to be dating our Tomoko."

"Really? Who?" Tuyen turned around, expectant. Her eyes settled on Hugo, and she drifted over to him, looking him over from head to toe. "Hm…your skin isn't as flawless as Aki-kun's; your eyes aren't as blue as Hanae-chan's; your hair is neither red nor brown, but a mix, which is very interesting. Your lips are pretty, I admit, but they are not as wonderful as Tomoyo-chan's. Your physique is also very good, but it's not as graceful-looking as my Daniel's. Your hands are calloused, so much like Matsu-kun's; it must be from quidditch. Danny, didn't Tomoko mention in her last letter that this boy played keeper?" She looked up at him with her delicate, doll-like features and smiled. "I'm sorry, but your name seems to have slipped my mind. Would you mind telling me what it is?"

"Grandmother!" Tomoko squeaked, feeling highly embarrassed. Her grandmother could be so straight-forward that it was a little unnerving at times. However, it was one of the parts of her grandmother she wished she'd inherited. If she wasn't someone who became embarrassed so easily, perhaps she could touch Hugo casually as well.

"It's okay, Tomoko," Hugo replied lightly. He felt a little weird having Tomoko's grandmother looking him over and making such comments. "My name is Hugo Weasley, and as Mr. Columbo mentioned, I'm dating Tomoko. I hope you approve."

"Perhaps," Tuyen said offhandedly, stepping away from the fifteen year old. "It wouldn't matter if I approved or not, though. The obstacle you have to worry about the most will be my other granddaughters. They're a little...shall we say…overprotective…?"

"Ah," replied Hugo, instantly thinking of Flora and Fauna. "I'm not too worried. I've met up with a couple of girls like that."

"But they've never been protecting another from you, have they? Believe me, it will be extremely frustrating after a while. I wish you the best of luck." Tuyen looked out the doorway and stared down the hallway, left and right. "I wonder where those two went. I'm surprised they didn't follow me in here. I'll have to write that down in my report. Oh, well, it won't be my fault if they get marked down. Ugh…the older teenagers are the hardest ones to deal with. I can only hope you won't be the same, Tomo."

"Grandmother, who are you talking about? Perhaps I know them, at least by name. I can match faces after that," Tomoko spoke up. It did seem rather odd that no one had followed after her grandmother. Then again, there were a lot of irresponsible 7th years that had only joined the class for the sake of getting away from Hogwarts for a little bit.

"Hm…well…I think one was named Daisy or something like that. I don't remember; it was a flower of some sort. And the other…maybe it was…scorpion, or was it Ryan? I'm not sure. Do either of these sound familiar?" By now, Tuyen had already settled herself beside Daniel on the bed, sitting cross legged.

Tomoko pondered for a few seconds. Her grandmother's mind could sometimes be so scrambled. "Ah!" She exclaimed, coming to a conclusion. "You mean Rose and Scorpius, right?"

"Ah, yes, Rose and Scorpius! Good job, Tomo. I wonder where those two went. That Rose girl seemed a little stunned when I told her I didn't need her help. She was being a little bit of a nuisance though. She should've stepped back when I told her to leave me alone."

"Ah, grandma, Hugo and I will go find them," Tomoko spoke up quickly, running to Hugo's side. She had seen him stiffen and his face turn dark. She didn't know if it meant he was angry or not, but she was at least fifty-five percent sure it signaled anger. 'Hugo must really love his sister,' Tomoko thought, feeling a little envious.

"Hugo, let's go find Rose and Scorpius. I'm sure they're looking everywhere for my grandmother. I don't want to worry them anymore than necessary." Tomoko didn't dare grab his hand, but hoped her words would at least get him moving.

He stiffly turned around and walked out. Tomoko followed after, shutting the door softly. She chased him down the hallway to her grandmother's room. "I'm sorry my grandmother said such a thing. She doesn't really like any other kids outside of our family. She's always been like that. I'm sorry if she offended you in any way."

"It's okay," Hugo smiled at her after taking a deep breath. "I always get a little protective when it comes to Rose, so don't worry about it too much. Now, which room was your grandmother's? If I'm right, I'm sure Rose will be standing in the same spot your grandmother left her. Rose has never taken criticism well. It'll be even worse since it's from someone who's much older than her."

"Ah," Tomoko replied, not knowing what else to say. "Oh, this is her room." Tomoko stopped in front of a door and opened it a little more. Hugo had been right. Rose was standing at the foot of the bed, not moving an inch. Scorpius was sitting in a chair nearby, simply watching, his eyes alight with amusement and curiosity. He looked up as they entered.

"Weasley, what's wrong with your sister?" He asked, standing up and stretching. Tomoko looked away, blushing slightly. She shouldn't even dare lay eyes on him. After all, Scorpius Malfoy was one of the handsomest and most sought out boy at Hogwarts. Even someone as uninformed as she knew that.

Hugo sighed and walked up to stand in front of Rose. He laid his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently. "Rosie, snap out of it. Don't worry about what Mrs. Columbo said. She's one of those old h-ladies who adore only her grandchildren and whatnot. You don't have to get so worked up over nothing. Here, even Tomoko will reassure you. She's related to the old h-lady."

Tomoko took this as her cue to step in. She scurried over to Rose and Hugo, slightly excited, but jealous at the same time. It was like she was Sunako in The Wallflower, an ugly girl always surrounded by brilliant creatures of light AKA humans of god-like beauty.

"H-Hugo is right, R-Rose. Grand-grandmother is always like that with strangers. Please don't take her words to heart. I-I can get her to apologize to you. Just-just wait a moment. I'll be back."

"No." Rose's one word made Tomoko stop in the doorway. "It's all right. It's my fault for not listening. Mrs. Columbo has no reason to apologize." Rose turned around and smiled at Tomoko. "I'm sorry for giving you so much trouble. Um…would you mind taking me to your grandmother so I can apologize?"

"Uh, um, s-sure, R-Rose," Tomoko stuttered. "She-she's with my grandfather right now." Tomoko swerved around and began walking down the hallway to her grandfather's room. A few feet from the room, she felt a little dizzy. She stumbled forward a little but caught herself. She pressed one hand against the wall to steady herself and shook her head. She lifted one foot and took a step forward. The dizziness overtook all her thoughts, and Tomoko slipped, falling to the floor with a 'thump'.

"Tomoko?!" Hugo asked anxiously, kneeling beside her. He brushed back her hair and felt her forehead. She wasn't burning up, so it couldn't have been a fever. Tomoko had seemed fine before as well.

"What was that?" Tuyen asked, looking out the door. "Tomoko?" She stepped out and quickly made her way to them. "Hugo, take Tomoko into Daniel's room."

"Ah, Mrs. Columbo," Rose called after Tuyen.

"I will talk with you later. Sit outside this room until I get you." With this final word, Tuyen slipped into Daniel's room.

* * *

Rose sighed dejectedly, settling herself on a chair outside the room. This wasn't how her first day was supposed to be. It should've gone smoothly without any problems whatsoever. Rose was worried she'd made a bad impression and would get low marks from Mrs. Columbo. Her input was the most vital in determining Rose's grade. Even if Rose did well with any other patients, this one bad review could ruin her entire grade for the class.

She turned to Scorpius, who had been unusually quiet throughout the entire day. "Scorpius, is anything wrong?" Rose asked. "You've been really quiet, so quiet that it's scaring me a little."

"Sorry," Scorpius replied shortly. "I've just…had a strange feeling all day. I can't explain it, but it's been bugging me ever since we entered this place."

"Really?" Rose asked, feeling even more put out. Scorpius had noticed something she'd failed to? Now she'd be spending the rest of her time trying to figure out what Scorpius couldn't explain.

* * *

"What's wrong with Tomoko? Does she need a doctor or something? Can one of the nurses help her? I'm sure I saw a hospital near here. I can take her if you want." Hugo said all this in one breath, worry marring his face.

"No, she doesn't need a doctor. She'll be perfectly fine without one," Tuyen answered seriously, so unlike the way she'd talked before. "What she needs now is blood." Hugo turned around, finding it a little creepy that Daniel had locked the door. What was so serious that that measure had to be taken?

"So Tomoko's anemic? I didn't know that. Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey never mentioned it either. They should've told me in case something like this happened." Hugo scolded himself for not being more informed. He was lucky Tomoko's grandparents were here and even luckier that they'd been assigned to one.

"Tomoko doesn't need blood for that reason. It's a food source for her…not that she's realized it yet," said Daniel, turning on lamps and closing the curtains.

"Vampire," Hugo whispered, swallowing. Being alone in a room full of vampires didn't comfort him very much; he'd learned they could be extremely vicious creatures. To think Tomoko was one was a little unbelievable.

"Yes, a vampire. Tomoko is unfortunate, being the only one of her siblings to bear these cravings. The others have gained a vampire's overwhelming beauty, but not their blood lust."

"My poor, sweet Tomoko," Tuyen whispered, "my gentle, cursed grandchild. This is a burden she cannot handle. Tomoko is not the kind of person that can draw blood from another, even if it is for herself."

"I don't think Professor McGonagall will let Tomoko back into Hogwarts," Hugo said. "Even if she is a student, she is a danger to others. The only person that would ever let her back into the school is Professor Dumbledore, and he is no longer around."

"Professor McGonagall was long ago informed that Tomoko may go through a change during her stay at Hogwarts," Tuyen countered, gently running a hand through Tomoko's hair and wiping sweat off her forehead, "yet Tomoko has been allowed to take residence there…even if there are some…restrictions."

"Why are you letting me know Tomoko's turned into a vampire? Am I supposed to protect the other students in case she goes on some lustful rampage?" Hugo asked curiously. He'd definitely have to read up on vampires and ways to protect oneself against them.

"Yes, that will be one of your duties," Daniel said. "Another will include protecting Tomoko against other students. Do not look so surprised, Hugo. If anyone found out Tomoko was a vampire, they would try to get rid of her. It is human nature to want to protect yourself and those precious to you against danger. Also, I ask that you be Tomoko's blood donator. Do not worry. She will only need to feed once a month during the first night of the new moon. I ask you only to do this because you are dating Tomoko. If you were simply a classmate of hers, I would ask someone closer to her to do this duty. Of course, you can refuse. I will always allow you that choice."

Hugo looked at Tomoko, who looked so pale and sickly. She looked even tinier, curled next to her grandmother, her head in Tuyen's lap. Usually he wouldn't go so far for someone other than Rose, but he had a loyalty to Tomoko as well. Perhaps what had intrigued him when they'd first come face to face was her vampire blood. Maybe that was what had called out to him. But, what made up his mind was not only that loyalty, but also the fact that he knew Tomoko, after some hesitation, would offer herself up. She would be afraid, but she would want to help another person.

"Yes, I'll be her donator."

"Good," Daniel nodded. "For now, Tomoko will be satisfied with our blood. I will have Celia write up a contract, one that will bind you to Tomoko and Tomoko to you. The contract will only last until Tomoko feels she does not need you anymore. Of course, you will also have the choice of destroying the contract, but you will have to consult with the writer beforehand. Celia Brooks, a friend of Tomoko's, will be the writer for this one. Once you get back to school, she will find and inform you further. She does, after all, know more about these and whatnot. After all, most vampires do not feed from only one source nowadays." Daniel let out a grin that sent shivers up Hugo's spine. The man standing in front of him was no ordinary old man. He was a vampire of ancient power, someone who had lived through so many centuries.

"Hugo," Tuyen spoke up, drawing Hugo's attention away from Daniel, "are you serious about Tomoko?"

Hugo hesitated before answering. "I don't really know. Something about her intrigued me. Perhaps it was her vampire blood. I don't know. What I do know is that I'll be kind to her. I won't mistreat her in any way. I'll take care of her as long as I have the title of her boyfriend."

"Hm," Tuyen replied to his response. "I hope you will be kind to her. This is Tomoko's first experience with a boy, and I want it to be a good one. After all, once she is done with Hogwarts, she will be tied down to Lucien Zabini."

"Lucien Zabini? He's a seventh year at Hogwarts, right? I'm pretty sure he's participating in this class as well. Most of the 7th years are here."

"Yes," Tuyen replied. "He is a shameless seventh year that my dearest Tomoko will be bound to for the rest of her life. My poor, unfortunate granddaughter."

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Wallflower. It belongs to Tomoko Hayakawa. It's a really good manga (Japanese comic) about this ugly girl surrounded by four creatures of the light AKA really beautiful boys. And don't worry, Sunako (the main character) is nothing like ordinary manga girls. In fact, she's the exact opposite of those scary happy-go-lucky girls. Go Sunako! Oh, and there's an anime as well. All the episodes can be watched on , which doesn't belong to me either. The anime is pretty good too. To get those episodes, look up Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge, okay? That's all for now! See you next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry, sorry, sorry! I've been kind of busy with things lately and a little uninspired. Actually…I've gotten ideas but no motivation to write everything out. Anyway, sorry for the long wait. Hope there are still some of you out there reading. Now let's move on to the next chapter of Chimaera.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

Rose Weasley knew how she'd ended up in this situation, and she had one messed-up, romance-loving cousin to thank for it. Said cousin was Lily Potter, who Rose believed must have spent too much time with Aunt Luna. First she'd become obsessed with the Quibbler, which, Rose would admit, was quite fascinating and unique. Then Lily started believing in warblers and snog-wankles or whatever they were called. After being told about them, Rose believed her cousin had gone positively loony and discreetly hinted to Uncle Harry that Lily might want to visit St. Mungo's for a quick checkup. Uncle Harry had simply given a small chuckle and said it was a phase Lily was going through. Well, Rose darn well hoped Lily would get over said phase today.

For, much to most everyone's displeasure, she was stuck in a broom closet in a deserted corridor in Hogwarts with none other than—

"What are you grimacing about now, Rose Weasley?"

--Yes, none other than Scorpius Malfoy, the one boy in school she'd promised her Father, brother, Uncle, and cousins she would never get close to on any circumstances. Well, considering they'd both become Prefects and then chosen as Head Boy and Head Girl, there really wasn't much choice in the matter, was there? However, their close encounters had been in large classrooms filled with other people or at least their humongous common room with furniture and little tidbits in between.

Yet, at the present moment, all that stood between Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy was some dust, if even that. Being trapped in a broom closet with measurements of 6ft.x 6ft. was not her idea of a comfortable encounter.

Anyone who knew Lily Potter would expect such an act. Forbidden romances were her present passion. It wasn't enough just to have Romeo and Juliet, Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, Lancelot and Guinevere, Tristan and Isolde, (among many others) but she needed a present romance that had first emerged as Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger. Oh, yes, Ronald Weasley had had a field day with that one. Hermione had simply shaken her head and smiled amusedly, saying it all owed to the tales he and Harry wove about their days at Hogwarts.

Ever since Lily had heard of Hermione's first encounter with Draco, rather than be horrified, she was rather happy and believed it to be a stroke of true love. That hadn't sat down too well with Ron who had grumbled to himself about the Malferret, starred moodily at the carpet, and then gone flying for a few hours before rushing home and consuming four servings of Grandma Molly's food.

Lily wove many tales and secretly told them to Rose and Albus, the only ones who would politely listen to her and not show their disbelief. It was then to Lily's greatest happiness that she discovered Scorpius Malfoy at King's Cross. It was even better to hear he was in the same year as Rose and that Albus was none too fond of him. It was the perfect story in her eyes. The son and daughter of parents who had been sworn enemies at Hogwarts fell in love and overcame all obstacles to happily be together in the end.

It'd taken five years, but Lily had finally accomplished what she'd set out to do since her first year at Hogwarts: get Rose and Scorpius together so they could realize they were madly in love and have secret meetings in the Astronomy tower, only to be discovered by Albus who would then send an owl to his father and Uncle Ron, revealing Rose's treachery. And then Scorpius would battle all out against Albus and Hugo and almost die, but then be saved by Rose's kiss of love. Oh, yes, Lily had it all figured out. She felt quite evil, but pretty giddy. She simply hoped no one would notice that both of them were missing. She would simply have to keep Albus from noticing (which wouldn't be that hard, at least not compared to Edward and Hugo, especially Hugo).

"She is going to get such a scolding when I get out of here," Rose muttered under her breath, banging her head against the door. She was hungry, tired, and angry that she'd missed all her afternoon classes. She didn't have a watch to check the time or even her wand to get out of the dingy closet.

She'd had no reason to expect a bad afternoon. Her morning had gone great. Rose had woken up at precisely six-thirty and been ready by seven. In fifteen minutes, she'd been in and out of the library and found a Charms book that she'd been waiting to read since fifth year. Apparently, some former student had checked it out and just returned it after discovering it in their unpacked Hogwarts suitcase. Within the next half-hour, she'd eaten a filling breakfast and learned more than she ever had in the past few years she'd taken Charms. Albus had dropped in and seemed in a bright, cheery mood. It was probably due to the Quidditch game against Slytherin that would be occurring tomorrow, but a happy Albus was a good Albus. Edward seemed just as talkative and happy to see her, going over strategies with Albus and marveling over the latest broom model. Hugo, on the other hand, was completely opposite of her two companions. He was quieter than usual, his face paler, and his interests captured by a book on Vampires.

She'd asked him about the book and his sudden interest in the creature, but he'd vaguely answered, "Oh, just something I came across in my Defense Against the Dark Arts book, and I was a little curious. Nothing much to it." And then he'd returned to reading without another word or glance.

This small action alone should've triggered a small alert within her, both with her oncoming bad day and future events involving her one and only little brother.

"Rose Weasley, are you going to answer me or not?" Scorpius asked, beginning to feel a little irritated. He'd been stuck in there with her for a long time. Usually, he wouldn't have minded, but she hadn't said anything since they'd been pushed in. Sometimes it was a small smile here or grumblings there, but that was it. There was no "Scorpius, I'm scared. Hold me so all the bad monsters go away." Then she would look up at him with her bright brown eyes and lean in close…probably only to sock him in the face.

Scorpius grinned to himself. Yes, that did sound like something Rose would do, if not to anyone else, then to him. For some reason or other, he seemed to be the only one that could get under her skin, and that made him happy. She didn't despise him; rather, she was simply flustered by his presence. That was why she acted so out of character. Scorpius got to see a different side to Rose Weasley, and that was probably the best thing she could give him…for now, at least.

"Rose Weasley, Rose Weasley, Rose Weasley," he began to sing. Yes, Scorpius Malfoy was officially going crazy. He could feel it in his bones and coursing through his veins.

"What is it, Scorpius Malfoy?" Rose sang back through gritted teeth.

"Finally, a response!" He quickly sat up, a prominent grin on his features. After hours of attempts, he'd finally made a breakthrough. "Why are you so upset, Rose? Aren't you enjoying some quality time when the famous Head Boy? Any girl would want to be in your place."

"They can take it," Rose groaned without turning around. "I'd rather have gone to classes. Now I'll have to catch up, and missing one day is like missing a hundred years! At this rate, I'll fail my N.E.W.T.s and never get a decent job. And it'll be all your fault, Scorpius Malfoy." She turned around and gave him a small glare before turning back and wishing for someone to unlock the blasted door.

"I'm flattered that I'd have such an impact on your life, Rose. But don't worry. If you marry me, you're practically set for life."

"Although, I, too, am deeply flattered, Mr. Malfoy, I would prefer to make my own way in the world. I don't need to depend on money nor on you," Rose replied snappishly, fully turning around to face the object of her irritation.

"You're finally speaking face-to-face! My, this is turning into quite the experience, Rose. I haven't seen your face for two days. You've been avoiding me. Tell me why. I want to hear a good story."

"I am not avoiding you, Scorpius," Rose replied, switching to his first name again. "I've just been so busy that there's no time to sit down and have a nice chat."

"Then we must thank whoever did allow us to sit down and 'have a nice chat', shouldn't we? After all, as Head Boy and Head Girl, we must communicate. How do you expect to set an example for the younger students if you yourself don't follow through? You see, Rose, I've been trying my absolute hardest since day one to be your friend, but you simply refuse my hand of friendship. Shame on you." He wagged his finger at her, enjoying how her ears reddened.

"You're right," she murmured, picking at her skirt. "But," she looked up at him earnestly, "I have tried being your friend. Really, I have. I don't hate you, Scorpius. But at times, you've been nothing but a nuisance, and I'm just a little fed up with it."

"I can't help it if I'm childish. I'm an only child, after all."

"I thought you had a sister," Rose inquired curiously. She'd heard the rumor from somewhere, but perhaps it had only been that-a rumor.

Rose was startled when she heard a dark, short bark of laughter. It contrasted with the light atmosphere that had just recently occupied the small space.

"Ah, yes, my sister. I almost forgot about her. Well, let's just say she's not worthy enough to be called my sister. She's got that damned Zabini's blood in her." His fist clenched and his eyes turned dark.

"Zabini? As in Lucien Zabini? Really, Scorpius," Rose huffed. "I don't see what's so bad about him. Sure, he can be a little irritating, but he's not that different from you. You need to stop being so childish and just—"

"Don't talk as if you know anything, Rose Weasley," Scorpius growled. Although he hadn't yelled or screamed at her, his mere tone was enough to make her cower. "You and your perfect life," he mimicked, "where all you have to worry about are your damn grades and making sure your whore of a brother doesn't impregnate every girl in Hogwarts!" As he spoke, his voice had risen in volume until it thundered and echoed in the closet.

"How dare you," Rose whispered, feeling tears begin to build up behind her eyes, "how dare you, Scorpius Malfoy! You have absolutely no right to say those things about my brother! He doesn't have anything to do with this conversation! Besides, I can't help it if my life is 'perfect' compared to yours! Don't blame me because you were born with a crappy mother and father!"

The resounding slap that followed rang through both their ears.

Rose raised a hand to her red, throbbing cheek. The tears she had been holding back freely fell down her face. She had always believed Scorpius was a good person despite what everyone else said. He could be infuriating, but he was not cruel. Yes, that was what Rose Weasley had fiercely believed until now.

Scorpius quickly withdrew his hand and hid it behind his back, as though trying desperately to erase what had just happened. It was throbbing with guilt and uneasiness. Never in his life had he hit a woman, not even if she'd pestered him into oblivion. Yet his hand had almost acted on its own, growing defensive and wanting to strike down the creature that had dared to defy and hurt him. Clenching his hand, he looked away. He wanted to apologize, but the words would not leave him. He knew better than anyone that she had not deserved to be hit, but saying sorry was not something a Malfoy did every day of their life. It was simply unheard of.

**

* * *

**

"Weasley, are you sure you want to do this?" Celia asked suspiciously, her arms crossed over her chest. It was an understatement to say she disliked Hugo Weasley. He was a danger to every female at Hogwarts, especially Tomoko because she was someone that could be easily manipulated. Although pampered by her grandparents and her sisters, no one understood the real Tomoko…well…beside Celia and Dmitri, but that's what usually happened when you've known each other for lifetimes.

Celia and Dmitri had always been with Tomoko. They'd gone through lifetimes like humans. It was what made Tomoko a half-vampire. She drank blood and took on the cravings of all her brothers and sisters. At the same time, she could walk in the daylight, age as any normal human, and be as ugly or beautiful as humanely possible. No matter what form she took, whether it be man, woman, or part beast, Celia and Dmitri took similar forms and protected and provided for her. Celia always found a food source (not related by blood because even if one of her Tomoko's family members were to give Tomoko blood, it would only last an hour or two at most) and made sure it stayed with Tomoko, while Dmitri protected Tomoko and the source. If it were to be destroyed without having terminated the contract, Tomoko would run rampant, killing everyone in her path. Once in that state, it would be nearly impossible to stop her. Only once in history had it happened, but the memories of muggle and wizard witnesses (if there were any left) alike were erased, and any recorded information was burned. If any such information was discovered, it was cause mass havoc. After all, one such being was born every one hundred years.

As Celia watched Hugo's movements closely, she remained tense. Frankly, she wouldn't have minded killing him. He had not yet become a permanent food source, and she preferred it to be that way. She knew what kind of person Hugo Weasley was. He was a complete player who aimed to please but not commit. It seemed there were many boys like that, but he was one of the worst. She felt Hugo was searching for something in Tomoko and would leave her hanging when he discovered she didn't have it. Celia knew how sensitive Tomoko was. His rejection would devastate her, and it would be Celia's job to drag his arse back and make him grovel before Tomoko's feet. Tomoko was, she would inform Hugo, someone who would always be out of his reach.

"I said I'd be her blood donor. Once I've made a promise, I stick with it," Hugo answered coolly, staring back at Celia. Even if she was one of Tomoko's closest friends, Hugo didn't like her very much. She'd been glaring at him for the past twenty minutes and clearly radiated an 'If-Tomoko-wasn't-my-friend-I-would've-already-torn-you-to-shreds' kind of aura.

"Really…" Celia responded dryly. "Are you sure it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that an ancient and powerful vampire was asking you to? Knowing you humans, you'd cower in fear rather than fight something more powerful than yourself."

"Yes, I will admit that Tomoko's grandfather did have some influence on my decision, but I would've helped her out, regardless."

"I highly doubt that, Weasley." She paused, her fingers tapping against her arm. "What do you want with Tomoko? You said you would be her boyfriend, and if memory serves me right, it was before you found out she was a half-vampire. Why would you concern yourself with her? She doesn't have a wild spirit nor is she beautiful. Her intelligence is above average, but what's that have to do with anything when looks are all a person is judged by nowadays? She's not very fashionable, and her confidence is non-existent. Overall, she's quite dull. What would you want with such a person?"

Hugo replied, after getting over his shock, "I thought you were one of her closest friends? Why would you say something like that?"

"Because I'm honest, and I'm only reiterating what Tomoko herself believes. Now, answer my question, Weasley. What do you want with Tomoko? Is it her family's influence? Another girl you can add to the list? Surely it cannot be that you felt sorry for her? Well," Celia's eyes grew sharp, "she doesn't need pity. What she needs are acceptance and love. Frankly, I don't think you can provide either of those things for Tomoko, and she cannot do the same for you."

"You're really set on keeping us apart, aren't you? Well, Celia," he stressed her name, "I'm sorry to break it to you, but nothing you do will separate us. Tomoko and I are getting to be good friends. It has nothing to do with you."

"It has everything to do with me!" Celia boomed, straightening, her arms falling to her sides. "For centuries, I've helped Tomoko, providing her with friendship, loyalty, and food. I've protected her in every one of our lives, and I will not let some pathetic human waste like you destroy her! That is why Tomoko needs to stay away from you until she's married to Lucien Zabini."

"Zabini this, Zabini that. Her grandmother mentioned him too, and according to this 'pathetic human waste', she didn't seem too pleased about it! In fact, I'm pretty sure Tomoko's in love with me!"

"You're stupid if you believe such a thing! Has Tomoko ever mentioned such feelings for you?! Besides, you've only known each other for a week! One can't fall in love that fast in real life! Tomoko is simply blinded by stupid human emotions!"

"Because she's half-human, you prick! Why don't you take those stupid human emotions of Tomoko's into account?! Haven't you ever thought that she might not want to marry Zabini!?"

"Lucien Zabini is the only way Tomoko can achieve true happiness! He always has, and always will be, Tomoko's lover! In this lifetime and the next! Tomoko simply hasn't realized it because she's been engulfed by your presence. She was created two years too late, and rather than be united peacefully with him, you stumbled across her path!" Celia took a deep, calming breath and regained her unusual aloofness. "Everything was perfect. Tomoko was five, Lucien seven. Since birth, they'd been told who they'd one day marry. And although they had yet to meet one another, each accepted it. Then, just moments before meeting her destined one, who other than Hugo Weasley came crashing through her garden on a broomstick. I don't know what spell you cast on her that day or what you may have promised her then, but she was enamored by you. Her thoughts were filled with only you. Any chance of loving Lucien was erased in a single encounter."

"Why does it matter if she marries him or someone like me? What makes him so special?" Hugo blasted back.

"He can take away her curse! Only Lucien Zabini can take away what has been plaguing her for the past fifteen years of her life! As a half-vampire, she can belong in neither world. By marrying Lucien, a pure, full-blooded vampire, she can become a true vampire and enter the world that has shunned her. She will finally be accepted. But your presence is confusing her! With you here, she can never reach this goal."

"So basically you just want her to marry him and have vampire babies? Why can't the same happen with a human? Will marrying a human make her entirely human? Can't she be happy this way?"

Celia looked serious. "Never in Tomoko's history has that happened. It has always been the pure vampire Lucien Zabini."

"Haven't you learned that change is good? Maybe it's time to forsake tradition."

"Or perhaps," Celia gritted her teeth, "it would be better if you just disappeared!" It was then that Celia lost control of her body. She lashed at him, throwing him up against the wall. It didn't matter if he was human or if Tomoko had even the slightest feelings for him. Hugo Weasley was a problem, and problems need to be eliminated.

"Stop." The command was quiet. It held no malice or power. The voice had wavered at the end. The disbelief in it was inevitable. With that one word, both occupants could discern the speaker to be none other than the girl they had been discussing.

Celia turned around without loosening her grip on Hugo's collar. Hugo simply looked up. Standing in the doorway, illuminated by torch light, were Tomoko and Dmitri.

"Celia, what are you doing to Hugo? Let him go."

"Tch," Celia murmured. She released him and stepped a good distance away.

"Are you all right?" Tomoko asked worriedly, walking up to Hugo. She reached out a hand and laid it on his arm.

He watched her face, waiting to see her usual reaction to his presence. However, there was no stuttering, no blushing, no avoiding his eyes. Standing before him was a woman that radiated mystery, power, and regality. He pulled his arm away and began walking out. Frankly, he didn't like that Tomoko.

**

* * *

**

"Rose, aren't you supposed to be with your boyfriend?" Albus asked testily, shoving his hands in his coat pockets. For a September morning, it was pretty chilly, like November weather.

"He isn't my boyfriend," Rose murmured in reply, pulling her scarf closer. It'd been over two weeks since she'd last talked to Scorpius. He was always out of the common room when she was there, and he avoided her in class. Besides, she didn't really want to talk to him either.

'No,' she admitted to herself, 'that's a lie. I sort of miss talking to him…but that's only because I hate how silent the common room is all the time. If I start talking to myself, I might go crazy.' She quickly added the last part, trying to make sense of all her feelings.

"Wow, Rose's first boyfriend, and it lasted only…what…a week? Wow, I can't wait to see how the rest of your relationships turn out." Albus turned to his cousin and chuckled. He slowed his walk until Rose caught up. "It's good to have you back, Rose." He thumped her on the back. "I will forgive your traitorous act this once. Now, do you guys want to get sugar highs? I'm pretty sure we deserve it after everything the professors have put us through this week."

Albus led the way, a light bounce in his step.

"Are you really okay?" Edward asked, walking along with Rose.

"Not really," she replied truthfully, knowing she could trust her friend. "I feel completely horrible and I don't like it a bit."

"What happened between you and Malfoy? It seemed like you were getting along fine." Edward questioned curiously.

"That's the key word, Edward, 'were'. I just—things just didn't go as smoothly as either of us had predicted. I guess a Gryffindor and Slytherin can never really get along."

"Or a Weasley and a Malfoy. After all, hasn't there always been a little bit of animosity between the two families?"

"Yes, but, maybe I was just being stubborn, but I really didn't think Scorpius was a bad person. I wanted to know and judge him for myself. I've done so, and he didn't meet my expectations." Rose shrugged, trying to be nonchalant. "It's okay. I've survived seventeen years without being friends with him. I'm pretty sure doing so for the rest of my life will be just as easy."

"If you think so," Edward replied skeptically.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Okay, don't start bugging me for getting all philosophical and weird, but I think you were meant to be friends with Malfoy. Before you say anything more, just hear me out first. Everyone you meet and interact with, you were meant to do so. They can provide you with a piece of themselves and help to shape you into the person you are. You're the way you are because of the people you've met and worked with up until now. You've become a good person, Rose. I think this time around, you need to provide some goodness for Malfoy, and he needs to give you whatever it is he can offer. So, even though Albus will totally kill me for this speech and what I'm about to say next, I want you to be friends with Malfoy again. Not boyfriend and girlfriend, but just friends. I think you guys rushed into things, and that sort of method never works out."

"Are you really encouraging a friendship with Scorpius? You? Albus Potter's best friend?" Rose asked slyly, a small smile lighting up her face.

"Yes," Edward replied bluntly. "You and he," Edward nodded at a figure walking towards them, "both are clearly miserable. Just take things nice and slow. You can't be lovers without first being friends. Now, while I distract Albus, you just make up with Malfoy and take whatever piece of him you need to move on with your life."

Edward gave one last grin before running to catch up with Albus. Rose was happy, glad she had such a friend.

**

* * *

**

"Um, Hugo…?"

His name was whispered so softly, that if not for the near-silent library, he wouldn't have heard her. He shut his book with a snap and tucked it into his bag. She didn't need to know he was reading up on Vampires.

"What do you want?" He asked, staring down at her. "Shouldn't you be in Hogsmeade or surrounded by your two bodyguards?"

"Well, um, yes, I-I should be, b-but," she fidgeted uneasily, shifting from one foot to the other and twisting her hands behind her back, "I-I asked them to…leave us a-alone. That is, um, I wanted to talk to you."

Hugo's demeanor unconsciously softened. He was talking to the normal Tomoko who grew nervous around him, who needed someone to latch on to, and who radiated a divine innocence.

"What'd you want to talk about?"

Tomoko, sensing the change, looked up and gave a small smile, although her nervousness still remained. "Well, l-last night you-you didn't see too happy. I was just wondering if-if Celia said something to upset you. And, um, if there's anything you'd like to discuss…or want me to clear up, I-I'll try my best to explain." She laughed nervously. "I can't guarantee I'll make any sense or be able to answer everything…since Celia and Dmitri usually know more about it than I do. Kind of sad, isn't it? To not know your own history?" She gave another laugh and licked her lips. Her fists clenched and unclenched several times. A deep, uncomfortable silence ensued.

"I do have one question," Hugo stated, finally breaking it. Tomoko looked at him expectantly, and he continued, "Last night…you were...well, you were a bit different from how you usually are."

"Oh," Tomoko mumbled, "well, it's simple, really." She licked her lips again and took a deep breath. "I—"

"She needed your blood," Dmitri answered from behind Tomoko. He turned to Tomoko then and said, "Here's your vial. Don't stress yourself out. We don't have many of these left, okay?"

Tomoko nodded weakly and took the small tube of crimson-colored liquid. "I'm sorry," she said to Hugo, giving a small bow. "Um, maybe we can talk later…?" She turned without waiting for an answer and headed out of the library where Celia was waiting.

"I thought you and the other bodyguard were supposed to leave us alone to talk."

"Yes, we were, but," he glanced at his watch, "seeing as it's 11:27, I needed to give Tomoko her blood. She hasn't fed for a couple hours and was at her limit. This week has been pretty hard for her, living off of her family's blood. Of course," he looked at Hugo, "if she had a blood donor, she would've only needed to feed once this month instead of a couple hours every day."

"I've said I'm willing to be her donor. Your partner Celia's the one who won't allow it," Hugo retorted.

"I've talked to Celia, and the contract must be done tonight. Tomoko needs blood other than her own or she'll start attacking random people in the school. As to your question, Tomoko will only revert back when she needs to feed. Tomoko in her past life was a Duke's daughter, thus the way she acted. In every lifetime, when she is deprived, the memories and manners of her old life start taking over. This is another vital reason why she must marry Lucien Zabini. If those memories take over the present one, Tomoko will be replaced with Mistress Maria Anne. And believe me," Dmitri chuckled, "she is one Duke's daughter you won't ever want to mess with."

"How can marrying Lucien Zabini change all this? Does being a vampire grant him special powers or something?"

Dmitri gave a huge sigh and began another explanation. "Hundreds of years ago Grant Serabin, Lucien Zabini's beginning life, fell in love with a half-vampire, the last of her kind. During that time, being a half-vampire was a disgrace. You belonged with neither humans nor vampires. Master Serabin was to marry another vampire, and he chose status over love. Before the marriage occurred, they promised one another under our Goddess that they would meet and marry every lifetime, no matter the circumstances, for they could not this one. Master Serabin gave up his immortality and Tomoko her will to love any other. As you can see, this is a promise of long ago, ancient magic we cannot break."

"That's stupid," Hugo scoffed. "Why should Tomoko's fate be determined by something that happened centuries ago? This, here and now, is her life and set by her decisions."

"You can never understand, Hugo Weasley. Your life is but mere seconds compared to Tomoko's. It is insignificant. A promise is something that can't be easily broken, especially by a simple human."

"Promises are always being broken by humans. We make them and most always break them. As far as I'm concerned, Tomoko hasn't made any promise with Zabini, and I intend to keep it that way." With those last words, Hugo brushed past Dmitri and walked out of the library. He wanted to talk to Tomoko, not Celia or Dmitri, but Tomoko. Hugo wanted her thoughts on the whole ordeal.

**

* * *

**

Tomoko dispensed the empty blood vial into a box and sighed deeply. She grabbed a goblet and quickly gulped down some water. She knew blood was vital for her survival, but she still hated it; the taste and smell were vile. She shuddered, and the goblet fell from her hands. It fell to the floor with a clatter. Drops of water dotted the stone floor.

A hand reached out and picked up the goblet. Tomoko looked up and found the hesitantly-smiling face of a house elf.

"Miss is all right?" She asked, setting the goblet on a tray. The house elf offered a tray of sweets to Tomoko who gratefully took a few.

"Thank you…Mimi, right?"

"Yes, Miss," Mimi replied, giving a small curtsy. "Mimi loves the dress Miss sent. Thank you, Miss."

"Don't worry about it. It was my pleasure, Mimi."

"Mimi!" A few bells began to ring.

"Oh, excuse me, Miss, but Mimi must help prepare dinner. Excuse me."

"It's fine," Tomoko replied politely as the house elf bowed and disappeared. She chewed slowly on the cookie she'd grabbed, hoping its taste would relieve her buds of blood.

When she finished, she wiped her hands on a piece of cloth given to her by another house elf and sat quietly. Celia had asked her to remain in the kitchens until dinner. Tomoko gave a small sigh of boredom and laid her head on the table. She felt a little guilty about her unfinished Transfiguration essay and Potions reading, but she would simply have to do everything after dinner.

"Miss," someone shook her gently, "please wake up Miss. Dinner is about to begin, Miss." She was shaken again.

Tomoko gave a small groan and slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times and slowly lifted her head. "Mm-hm…?" She mumbled.

Mimi backed away quickly and gave a curtsy before speaking. "Dinner is starting now Miss."

"Oh, y-yes, th-thank you Mimi." She stood up, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes. She stumbled a few times and caught herself, laughing softly and berating herself for being such a klutz.

She stepped out from behind the portrait and began her walk to the Great Hall. Tomoko was surprised neither Celia nor Dmitri had come to retrieve her. Of course, she should learn to be more independent, but she still felt uncomfortable walking down the huge, shadowed hallways by herself.

Suddenly, she stumbled over herself and took a nosedive for the ground. Someone grabbed her upper arm and pulled her up. Tomoko winced from the strong grip, but was still thankful someone had caught her. She'd rather suffer a bruise than a broken face.

Tomoko turned to thank her savior, hoping beyond all hope it was Hugo. Her face dropped because holding on to her was none other than Lucien Zabini, her fated one, her eternal lover, and the one person she didn't want to see right now.

**

* * *

**

Rose's head swerved around the Great Hall, desperately searching for Scorpius. Down in Hogsmeade, he'd suddenly disappeared after Edward had left her. She'd searched every store and even looked around the Shrieking Shack, but her efforts had been in vain. She'd returned to Hogwarts around two o'clock and searched everywhere: the library, the kitchen, the Great Hall, the classrooms, their common room, and even been brave enough to peek into his room.

However, he would be in the Great Hall for dinner. Or would he? Rose shook her head and reassured herself that he had to eat with everyone else here because he didn't know how to get to the kitchens (there was another good reason for being close to Albus—you learned a few of Hogwart's many secrets) and had no one to sneak him some food.

Her efforts finally paid off when she spotted Scorpius walking through the doors of the Great Hall. She quickly stood, a smile illuminating her features. Some might call her crazy or stupid for wanting to befriend Scorpius after what had just occurred, but…Rose was stubborn, and she would not allow herself to become like Albus. She would overcome any obstacles thrown her way and be his friend. He didn't have to be a lover; a friend was good enough.

However, her smile and high spirits disappeared when a girl latched herself onto Scorpius. She stopped and slowly lowered the hand she'd raised to greet him. Her amber-brown eyes watched as Scorpius led the girl away to Slytherin's table and sat down. He hadn't cast a single glance at Gryffindor's table. Instead, he simply held the girl close and let her feed him.

"I hope he chokes on a grape," Fauna muttered beside Rose.

"Let's get going Rosie." Flora tugged on her hand and led her away.

It was easy because Rose was still in shock. A little over a week ago, hadn't he been proclaiming he liked her? That he was infatuated with her? He'd even gone so far as to temporarily sever her relationship with Albus by having her tell Albus of her new relationship with the Head Boy.

Rose stopped walking and her eyes widened. Perhaps that had been his objective all along? He'd wanted to get to Albus. To get through to Albus, he'd used Rose. They were always in close proximity because of their duties. Why hadn't she seen it before? Had she been blinded by the Scorpius she'd met at the beginning of fifth year?

Tears slowly began to slide down her face as the realization dawned upon her.

Scorpius and Albus had been at each other's throats since first year. Why would he act friendly to Rose, one of Albus's closest cousins? In his eyes, she must've been an enemy.

'So…all the time we spent with each other…was he just tolerating me to get some revenge on Albus? When he hit me…were those his real feelings?'

"Rosie?" Fauna asked cautiously, peering at Rose's face. She looked at Flora in alarm and started pulling Rose out of the Great Hall.

The twins quickly went to the Head common room, and it was not until they'd sat her down in front of the fire that Rose's tears came down full-blast. She sobbed and hiccupped, burying her face in her hands. Fauna rubbed her back soothingly while Flora escaped to get them all some dinner.

"Rosie?" Fauna called again. "Do you-do you want to…you know…talk…?"

Rose slowly shook her head and continued to hide her face. When Flora returned, Fauna looked at her helplessly.

"Rose, you have to eat something," Flora said softly, laying the tray down before her. "I know now might not be the best time to eat, but you need to. I don't think you've eaten all day. You need some energy. Please, Rose." Flora kneeled down beside Rose. "You don't have to tell us anything. All Flora and I ask is that you eat. After that, we'll leave you alone until you want to tell us something. Okay?"

Rose refused to answer them. Flora and Fauna remained for the next few hours, but Rose neither ate nor moved. She continued to sit in front of the fireplace, her head bowed.

"Rosie, we'll have a house elf bring up some fresh food, okay? And we'll make sure someone keeps the fire going in case you decide to sleep out here tonight, okay? If you need anything, Flora and I will be in our dorms, okay? Just give a holler, and we'll come as soon as possible. Okay?"

Flora and Fauna left feeling anxious. They'd never seen Rose that way before. Flora clenched her fist, and Fauna twiddled with her wand. Their eyes hardened as they marched forward determinedly. Flora pulled out some parchment from underneath her robes and unfolded it.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Fauna murmured watching as the Marauder's Map began to unfold before them.

Their eyes quickly scanned and found their target: Scorpius Malfoy, along with Mia Wandering.

"Sorry, Malfoy, but we tried to give you a chance, and you ruined it," Flora whispered bitterly, the map crumpling in her hands.


End file.
